The Chicago Cubs raised four banners on a rainy Monday night at Wrigley Field prior to facing the Los Angeles Dodgers in their home opener. The Cubs recognized their 1907 and 1908 World Series titles and 2016 National League pennant before reaching the main attraction — their 2016 World Series banner.
After a rain delay and pregame ceremony, the 2016 NLCS opponents met for the first time since the Cubs ended the Dodgers’ playoff run. Runs were at a premium, with Jon Lester giving the Dodgers fits and Alex Wood doing his best to contain a vaunted Cubs lineup.
A Yasiel Puig error with two outs in the third inning later led to a Kris Bryant RBI double that broke a scoreless tie. The Dodgers squandered multiple opportunities before eventually erasing a 2-0 deficit to tie the game in the eighth.
However, they suffered a walk-off loss when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went to Kenley Jansen with the winning run on second base and one out. Jansen struck out Bryant as Jon Jay stole third base. Anthony Rizzo, who carried the World Series trophy into Wrigley, flared a game-winning single into left field.
Although just one game, Corey Seager said the loss came with some sting, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“Yeah, that wasn’t good,” Seager said. “That one hurts a little. We take a lot of pride in coming back, making that push late to tie it. That hurts, for sure.”
As they did in last year’s NLCS, the Dodgers proved they are capable of competing with the young, talented World Series champions. Seager went 1-for-4 with an RBI double that cut the Dodgers’ deficit in half in the sixth inning.
After an off day on Tuesday the two teams return to Wrigley Field on Wednesday evening with veteran right-handers Brandon McCarthy and John Lackey set to square off. The three-game set concludes with a Thursday afternoon affair, when the Dodgers will face former teammate Brett Anderson.
