PITTSBURGH – This Cubs’ defense is so good, replete with Gold Glovers making highlight-reel plays, that you almost have to expect this kind of thing by now, right?
“I don’t expect it,” lefty starter Matthew Boyd said, not wanting to anger the baseball gods, “but it’s amazing.”
Boyd’s on-field reaction said a lot more, the veteran hurler screaming with excitement after left fielder Ian Happ delivered an on-the-money throw home to nail a would-be go-ahead run at the plate in the seventh inning of Friday’s 3-2 extra-inning win over the division-rival Pirates.
And it wasn’t even the only game-saver. Four innings earlier, second baseman Nico Hoerner kept the score tied by making a spectacular stop on a ball ticketed for the outfield, immediately throwing to third to nab the runner that rounded the base, ending a scoring chance.
“Both plays were the difference in the game,” manager Craig Counsell said. “That’s something we have the ability to do, and it showed up in the biggest moments tonight.”
Yes, these plays are commonplace for a Cubs team that ranks, statistically, as baseball’s best defensive squad.
But their importance cannot be overstated, especially with the Cubs trying to chase down the division-leading Brewers in the NL Central standings. They gained a game Friday and sit six games back as the regular season comes down to its final couple months.
“I haven’t played in front of a defense this good ever,” Boyd said. “It’s really special when you see the guys flying around and doing stuff like that.
“We’re at that point. We know what’s ahead of us, and our best baseball is ahead of us. We’re excited about the task that’s in front of us. Every game matters. … Wins count the same in April as they do right now, but it’s really exciting to see the opportunity that we have in front of us.”
This team was built on a foundation of great defense – see the team Gold Glove it won last season – and it’s the sort of thing that can make the difference, not just in a game in late July, but deep into October.
“That was just a great example of what we’re capable of on the defensive side of the ball,” Happ said. “There’s a couple really big plays that saved runs there, but the consistency of the boring plays. … [The infielders are] constantly making the routine plays look easy. And they’re not.
“Just doing that over and over and giving our pitchers the confidence to go and throw strikes and that we’re going to take care of the balls in play? It was a good day.”