Starting pitchers tonight were lefthander Jon Lester (Chicago) and righthander Johnny Cueto (San Francisco).
Lester was 19-5 this season with a 2.64 ERA.
His ERA was the second lowest in the Majors behind teammate Kyle Hendricks, who will start Game 2 on Saturday.
In his career, Lester started five games against the Giants and was 4-1.
Cueto was 18-5 this year and closed with a 2.79 ERA.
Cueto has made 24 starts against the Cubs in his career and is 9-8.
This season, Cueto faced the Cubs once, threw seven innings, but had a no-decision.
Before today, the righthander pitched in seven other postseason-games and was 2-3.
Before the game, 78-year old Hall of Famer Billy Williams threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
In 16 of his 18 Major League-seasons, Williams played for the Cubs.
Hereafter, Mike Ditka, the legendary tight end and Head Coach of the Chicago Bears (American football) delivered the 'Play Ball' announcement on the field.
The game was a pitching-duel between Jon Lester and Johnny Cueto, resulting in the game remaining scoreless for almost eight innings.
The Giants might have had something in the making in the beginning of the game, but ran themselves out of an inning twice.
In the top of the first inning, Gorkys Hernandez led off with a single, but he was caught stealing moments later.
In the second, Hunter Pence also led off with a single, but stranded on second base.
...Wrigley Field...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
In the third, the Giants again got their lead-off hitter on base, when Conor Gillaspie led off with a single.
However, he was picked off first base moments later by catcher David Ross.
In the fourth, the Giants got into scoring position again.
With one out, Buster Posey singled, then with two outs, Angel Pagan doubled.
Posey might have had a chance to score, but he didn't ran full speed while rounding second base.
A groundout followed and so, the runners stranded on second and third base.
Giants-starter Johnny Cueto retired the first 10 batters he faced.
But with one out in the fourth, he gave up a double to Kris Bryant.
He moved on a grounder to third base, but then was left behind.
In the fifth, with two outs, Javier Baez singled for the Cubs, but also stranded, as Cueto closed with a strikeout.
Cueto then struckout the side in the sixth inning.
The scoreless tie ended with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Johnny Cueto had allowed only two baserunners and had retired eight batters in a row since the fifth.
But now he gave up a homerun to Javier Baez!
Cueto retired the next two batters, but Chicago had taken the lead.
Aroldis Chapman closed the game for Chicago in the top of the ninth inning.
The hardthrowing Cuban lefthander was acquired by the Cubs on July 25 from the New York Yankees.
Chapman began with a strikeout, then a grounder accounted for the second out.
But then Buster Posey drilled the ball into leftfield for a double.
After he was replaced by a pinch-runner, the game ended when Hunter Pence grounded out.
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Cubs one-runs Giants on homerun in NLDS-opener
CHICAGO, Illinois (USA) -
Chicago Cubs opened the best-of-five National League Division Series on Friday-evening with an 1-0 win against San Francisco Giants.
The Cubs led the Majors with 103 victories and were 103-58 to win the title in the National League Central.
The team was 57-24 at home in Wrigley Field.
The 103 victories were the most for the Cubs since it won 104 in 1910!
This is the sixth time that the Cubs play in the NLDS.
Manager Joe Maddon is only the second Manager in club-history to lead the team to the postseason in his first two seasons.
The other is Lou Piniella, who did it in 2007-2008.