Cubs ace Jake Arrieta on Wednesday became the first pitcher in MLB postseason history to throw a complete-game shutout with at least 10 strikeouts and no walks as he blanked the Pirates in the NL wild-card game.
Arrieta also etched his name into the franchise's record book with 11 strikeouts, tying Kerry Wood's mark set in 2003. He has now thrown 31 consecutive scoreless innings (regular season and postseason).
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While Arrieta was dominant, he did hit two Pirates with pitches. He nicked Francisco Cervelli's hand in the fifth, then hit Josh Harrison in the shoulder with a breaking ball in the sixth. Whether intentional or not, those drew the ire of the Pirates, and reliever Tony Watson retaliated by plunking Arrieta in the hip in the seventh. That led to the benches emptying.
Score: Cubs 4, Pirates 0.
Takeaway: The Cubs' remarkable season continued as they recorded their ninth straight win. Kris Bryant, the favorite for NL Rookie of the Year, showed off his stellar defensive skills by juggling and then catching a line drive off the bat of Gregory Polanco in the sixth. Bryant had just moved back to third base from left field for defensive purposes. The next inning, Bryant started an inning-ending double play with a great backhand grab.
Turning point: The Pirates loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth with one out on a Travis Snider single, Harrison's hit by pitch and an error by Cubs shortstop Addison Russell on a hard-hit ball by Andrew McCutchen. Just as the sold-out crowd began to revive, Starling Marte hit another sharp grounder to Russell, who started a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
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Hero: Kyle Schwarber. The Cubs' first selection in the 2014 draft (fourth overall) gave his club the lead just two batters into the game when he drove home Dexter Fowler from second base with a single. His next time up, he unloaded a two-run homer to right field off Gerrit Cole that traveled an estimated 449 feet. The blast put Chicago ahead 3-0.
Goat: The Pirates' Sean Rodriguez got the start at first base over Pedro Alvarez, but after bobbling a catch in the first inning, Rodriguez was removed in favor of pinch hitter Alvarez in the third before he had even gotten an at-bat. When the benches cleared after Arrieta was hit, Rodriguez was ejected for throwing a punch that grazed Schwarber. Those weren't the only punches Rodriguez threw .
What’s next: The Cubs will travel to St. Louis to face the Cardinals in the best-of-five NLDS beginning Friday. John Lackey (13-10, 2.77 ERA) will take the hill for the Cards, while the Cubs will likely send Jon Lester (11-12, 3.34 ERA) to face the NL Central champions. The Redbirds bested the Cubs in the regular season, going 11-8 and outscoring Chicago 84-79. Chicago, however, won four of the six meetings between the teams in September.