Starting pitchers tonight were righthander Kyle Hendricks (Chicago) and righthander Jeff Samardzija (San Francisco).
Hendricks was 16-8 this season with a 2.13 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 190 innings.
This season, he started one game against the Giants and then was the losing pitcher.
In his career, he threw in three games against the Giants and is 1-2.
Hendricks led the Majors with his 2.13 ERA and he is the first Cubs-pitcher to do so since 1938.
While pitching at home in Wrigley Field, his ERA was 1.32, which was the second-best ERA in a season in club-history.
The lowest home-ERA was recorded in 1920 by legendary Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander, which was 1.11
Samardzija was 12-11 this year with a 3.81 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 203 1/3 inning.
He made his lone postseason-appearance in 2008 when he was with the Cubs.
This season, the righthander pitched in one game against the Cubs and then had a no-decision.
In his career, Samardzija threw two games against Chicago, losing one of them.
The Cubs immediately set the tone in the bottom of the first inning when its scored its first run.
Dexter Fowler led off with a double, then scored on a 2-out single to rightfield by Ben Zobrist.
...Dexter Fowler scored the first run...
...for the Cubs; Here (then-playing...
...for Colorado Rockies), he visited...
...the Netherlands in 2011 for...
...the European Big League Tour...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
In the top of the second, Hunter Pence led off for the Giants with a single, but he was forced out on a grounder by Brandon Crawford.
The Giants then got another runner when next batter Angel Pagan was awarded first base on catcher's interference.
But hereafter, the Cubs turned an inning-ending double play.
Chicago then rallied for three runs in the bottom of the second inning.
Jason Heyward led off with a double and Javier Baez walked, then the bases got loaded when Wilson Contreras singled.
Hereafter, both Heyward and Baez scored when pitcher Kyle Hendricks hit the ball into centerfield for a 2-run single.
With one out, Contreras scored the next run on a single by Kris Bryant to increase the lead to 4-0.
In the top of the third inning, the Giants cut the deficit in half by scoring two runs.
Joe Panik and pinch-hitter Gregor Blanco began the inning with back-to-back doubles, resulting in the first run.
With one out, the second run was scored by a sacrifice fly by Brandon Belt.
In the top of the fourth inning, the Cubs had to make a pitching change.
With two outs, Angel Pagan lined the ball back to pitcher Kyle Hendricks, who was hit on his right forearm and stomach area.
While Hendricks initially took some warm-up pitches and appeared to be staying in the game, he was lifted out of precaution.
X-rays were taken immediately in the stadium and were negative, but it was diagnosed that he had a contusion of this arm.
Travis Wood took over and closed the inning with a strikeout.
With one out in the bottom of the fourth inning, Wood came to bat and drilled the ball into left-centerfield for a homerun to make it a 5-2 score!
He had hit his last homerun on July 25, 2014.
Wood became the first relief pitcher to hit a homerun in the postseason since Rosy Ryan of the New York Giants hit one in Game 3 of the World Series in 1924 against the Washington Senators, 92 years ago!.
With one out in the top of the fifth inning, San Francisco-Manager Bruce Bochy inserted pitcher Madison Bumgarner as a pinch-hitter to hit for reliever George Kontos.
Bumgarner, who threw a complete game last Wednesday in the Wild Card-game against the New York Mets, is also known to be a good hitter.
Bumgarner hit a bad-hop grounder to third baseman Kris Bryant, who was credited with a fielding error.
As the following throw ended up in the dug-out, Bryant also was credited with a throwing error, as Bumgarner advanced to second base.
He then moved to third base on a grounder, but stranded there.
With the Cubs still leading 5-2 in the top of the ninth, Cuban closer Aroldis Chapman took the mound for the home team.
He struckout the first batter he faced, then a line drive accounted for the second out.
Chapman followed with another strikeout to end the game to earn his second save in two days.
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Cubs also win second game against Giants in NLDS
CHICAGO, Illinois (USA) -
Chicago Cubs also won Game Two of the best-of-five National League Division Series.
On Saturday-evening (October 8), the Cubs won 5-2 against San Francisco Giants at the beautiful, cozy and historic Wrigley Field, which this year celebrates its 100th anniversary!
Tonight, the Cubs took an early 4-0 lead, saw the Giants narrow it to 4-2, but added a run when relief pitcher Travis Wood homered in the fourth ining.