16 memorable Cubs’ moments in 2016
After Kyle Schwarber’s season-ending knee injury in the second inning, the Cubs storm back from a 4-2 deficit to score 12 runs and roll to a 14-6 win over the Diamondbacks.
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The Tribune’s Mark Gonzales picks 16 key moments from the Cubs’ season ... so far.
Kris Bryant hits two home runs and drives in six runs, but he’s upstaged as Jake Arrieta throws the second no-hitter of his career in a 16-0 pounding of the Reds.
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The Cubs frustrate the Nationals by walking slugger Bryce Harper six times, and Javier Baez homers in the bottom of the 13th for a 4-3 win that caps a four-game sweep.
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Jake Arrieta allows four earned runs for the first time in 30 starts, but Kris Bryant hits a three-run homer in the sixth and Hector Rondon retires Jedd Gyorko with the tying and winning runs on base to preserve a 9-8 win over the Cardinals.
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Willson Contreras homers on his first major-league swing as the Cubs slug five home runs en route to a 10-5 win over the Pirates, completing a three-game sweep and extending their lead in the NL Central to 12 1/2 games.
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In what is now known as the “Left Field Game,” relievers Travis Wood, Spencer Patton and Pedro Strop each play left in the late stages of a 7-2, 15-inning victory over the Reds.
(John Minchillo / AP)
In the closest thing to a “must-win” game, the Cubs snap a five-game losing streak with a 6-5 win in Pittsburgh and end the first half with a seven-game lead.
(Gene J. Puskar / AP)
Pitcher Jon Lester comes off the bench to execute a squeeze bunt in the bottom of the 12th for a 7-6 win over the Mariners after trailing 6-0 through three innings.
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First baseman Anthony Rizzo steps on the wall along the right-field line at Wrigley Field, reaches into the stands to snare a foul ball and manages to retain his balance in a gold-medal-worthy performance as the Cubs coast to a 4-1 win over the Brewers.
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Kris Bryant fortifies his Most Valuable Player credentials with a 5-for-5, two-homer, five-RBI performance in a 9-6 win over the Brewers.
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Addison Russell hits the 80-RBI mark, but it’s his spectacular stop on a hard grounder by Wil Myers in the eighth that helps preserve a 5-1 victory in San Diego.
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Kris Bryant fuels a 6-4 comeback win over the Dodgers with a homer in the eighth and a two-run shot in the 10th to earn chants of “MVP, MVP” at Dodger Stadium.
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Trailing the Pirates by one entering the bottom of the 13th, the Cubs avoid their first three-game losing streak of the second half by rallying on RBI singles by Anthony Rizzo and Miguel Montero for an 8-7 win.
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Kyle Hendricks pitches eight no-hit innings before allowing a home run to the Cardinals’ Jeremy Hazelbaker, while manager Joe Maddon adds some spice to the Cubs’ 4-1 win by cussing out umpire Joe West after getting ejected.
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The NL Central title was clinched about 16 hours earlier with a late-night Cardinals loss to the Giants, and Miguel Montero puts everyone in a festive mood at Wrigley by homering in the 10th for a 5-4 victory over the Brewers.
(Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)Mark Gonzales is a baseball writer for the Tribune who has covered the Cubs since August 2013, after 8 1/2 seasons as the Tribune’s White Sox writer. He’s served as the beat writer for the following World Series champions: 2001 Diamondbacks, 2005 White Sox and 2016 Cubs. Before joining the Tribune, Gonzales covered the Arizona Diamondbacks and was the national baseball writer for the Arizona Republic for five seasons. Gonzales was the San Francisco Giants’ beat writer for the San Jose Mercury News for eight seasons. Gonzales loves traveling to warm locations in the winter.