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Chicago also was a wild card last year, when the Cubs beat San
Diego in the first round and lost to Milwaukee in a Division
Series. The Cubs will be making consecutive postseason
appearances for the first time since four straight from 2015-18,
which in 2016 included their first championship since 1908.
The Cubs clinched their berth shortly after the White Sox earned
their postseason trip with a 9-1 win at Kansas City.
Miami (78-81) was assured its third straight non-winning season.
A favorite to win the NL MVP award, Crow-Armstrong became the
seventh 40-40 player, joining a group that includes Los Angeles
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald
Acuña Jr. Jose Canseco was the first with the 1988 Oakland
Athletics.
Crow-Armstrong hit his 45th homer during Sunday’s 9-1 win at
Cincinnati, extending his career high. The 24-year-old drew a
leadoff walk from Tyler Phillips in the first inning and swiped
second base on the next pitch to Suzuki for his 40th steal in 47
attempts. Fans chanted “MVP” as the Wrigley Field videoboard
proclaimed the feat.
Ohtani was the previous player with a 40-40 season, hitting 54
homers and stealing 59 bases for the 2024 Dodgers. Acuña hit 41
homers and swiped 73 bases for Atlanta in 2023. Alfonso Soriano
(2006 with Washington), Alex Rodriguez (1998 with Seattle) and
Barry Bonds (1996 with San Francisco) are the other 40-40
players.
Matthew Boyd (10-5) allowed one run, five hits and two walks
over seven innings, and Ryan Zeferjahn pitched a perfect ninth
for his seventh save to finish a five-hitter.
Ian Happ tripled off Jack Ralston (0-2) to start the sixth and
came home three pitches later on Nico Hoerner’s single, breaking
a 1-1 tie.
Miami’s Jakob Marsee had an RBI single in the third and Suzuki
hit his 26th homer in the fifth, a drive off Jack Ralston.
Up next
The Marlins return to Miami on Friday to begin a season-ending,
three-game series against Atlanta.
The Cubs play a day-night doubleheader Friday at Boston. The
opener was shifted to Sunday by Major League Baseball because of
a forecast for a storm.
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