Cubs season-ending report: Young talent abounds

The Mets won 8-3 to advance to the World Series.

You can now officially shove that prediction in the trash along with the film’s visions of hoverboards, self-lacing shoes and flying cars.

Then the Mets swept the Cubs in the N.L. Championship Series, which hurt because the rule of thumb in the sports business is you start to make money in Game 5.

New York will play the victor of the American League Championship Series between the Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays in the best-of-seven World Series starting next Tuesday.

Four Mets relievers handled the Cubs the rest of the way, allowing just two runs. What a curse. The most incredible part of the curse was that it somehow retroactively kept the Cubs from making a World Series between 1908 and 1945. “I am proud of what they achieved on the field this year and am looking forward to opening day next April”, Emanuel said.

Right when it looked as if his historic streak was coming to an end, Murphy connected for a two-run drive to center against Fernando Rodney in the eighth inning.

The master plan in the NLCS never crystallized, with Lester and 22-game victor Jake Arrieta failing to win the first two games at Citi Field, and then the Mets scoring early and often against Kyle Hendricks and Hammel. They scored at least one run in the first inning of every game. They better not enjoy it too much, though, because they’ve got to do it all over again when the World Series begins on October 27. Duda had five RBIs.

That was just one of several times Murphy conceded being baffled while sitting in the interview room at old Wrigley Field, drenched in champagne and staring at the trophy he got for being MVP of the NLCS.

“I can’t explain why the balls keep going out of the ballpark”, Daniel Murphy said after his MLB-record sixth consecutive playoff game with a home run, “but they do”.

After an impressive finish to highlight a 97-win regular season and a convincing 4-0 victory at Pittsburgh in the wild-card game, the Cubs wore down despite eliminating the rival St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Division Series.

Mets manager Terry Collins, 66, will be in the World Series for the first time after a lifetime chasing the dream. In fact, the only instances where the Cubs were able to tie the game were during the top of the fifth inning of Game 1 and in four innings of Game 3.

A Mets team that ranked 29th in the majors during the regular season with 51 stolen bases swiped seven in the four games against the Cubs.

Curtis Granderson stole second in the first inning Wednesday.

“I’m a big believer in using the veteran players for that kind of stuff”, Collins said. “We’ve got a young team that has a lot of talent, and all of us know what we can do”. No hover boards or self-tying sneakers, and the Cubs are definitely not going to the World Series. “They grind it out and they never die, and I think that’s a tremendous compliment for a team, so we’re going to have our hands full, for sure”.