Kyle Schwarber has mammoth HR in Cubs’ clincher

The Chicago Cubs celebrate defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 in game four of the National League Division Series at Wrigley Field on October 13, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois.

But Cubs relief pitcher Hector Rondon struck out Piscotty to end the game and ignite a raucous celebration.

Lester is the Cubs’ $155 million man and would relish a Game 1 start in the NLCS, but said he would have no issues starting the second game. They’d had the chance four previous times (No, Rizzo couldn’t name them) but each time produced a new chapter in their history of heartbreak. “It’s been a long time coming for this city, and hopefully it’s just a sign of things to come”.

Many Chicago Cubs fans said that if the Cubs only went to the Wild Card game in Pittsburgh and lost in a one and done deal, it would still have been an excellent season.

Only one of the other six teams still alive in the playoffs – the Los Angeles Dodgers – even existed the last time the Cubs made it to the series, and they were playing in Brooklyn at the time.

Clayton Kershaw had eight strikeouts and allowed one run in seven innings to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 3-1 win over the New York Mets at Citi Field.

Schwarber’s monstrous shot leading off the seventh gave the Cubs a two-run lead and ended the scoring. The ball seemed to disappear, possibly clearing the videoboard in right or hitting the Budweiser sign above it.

The Cubs took the lead in the second inning on a three-run homer by Javier Baez-a player who was demoted to the minors this year, then injured, then dealt with the loss of a family member before returning to the ballclub. At the very least, a few of them will be paying World Series ticket prices.

The Cubs fell behind 2-0 in the first inning when Stephen Piscotty drilled a home run into the left-field seats off Cubs starter Jason Hammel.

By finishing off the Cardinals on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, Maddon’s club has set itself up perfectly for the NLCS – either going east or west for the first two games of the series against the Mets or Dodgers, two teams pushed to the cross-country limit by their five-game NLDS.

“You can judge us however you want”, manager Mike Matheny said.

In five postseason games, Schwarber has hit, 538 and added three home runs and five RBIs.

The question now is whether the Cubs will be able to break a curse that has left them out of the World Series since 1908, which is the last time they won a playoff series.