Cubs clinch playoff spot for second straight year
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Cubs after Thursday's win over the Marlins. Photo: Justin Kaufmann/Axios
The Chicago Cubs punched their ticket to the MLB playoffs for the second straight year.
The latest: The Cubs held off the Miami Marlins 2-1 Thursday to clinch a postseason berth in front of the home crowd at Wrigley Field.
Why it matters: Cubs fans get postseason baseball in consecutive seasons for the first time since the team's run of four straight playoff appearances from 2015-2018.
Zoom in: The North Siders have been fueled by MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong, who has delivered one of the best single-season performances in franchise history.
By the numbers: PCA secured a rare 40/40 season in front of the Wrigley faithful, finishing the day with 45 home runs and 40 stolen bases.
- He's the first Cubs player — and just the seventh player in MLB history — to accomplish the feat.
Wild stat: The Cubs are No. 2 in the majors in home runs. If they finish on top, it'll be the first time since 1958 that they've led MLB in homers.
Zoom out: The Cubs still have plenty to play for this weekend. Even though they've clinched a Wild Card spot, they're battling the Phillies and Padres for playoff seeding and a chance to host a best-of-three Wild Card Series at Wrigley.
- If they falter down the stretch, they could open the postseason on the road.
State of play: The Cubs are limping toward October while dealing with significant injuries. Star Alex Bregman suffered multiple facial fractures after being struck by a foul ball last weekend, while the starting rotation remains riddled with injuries.
Yes, but: This team is battle-tested after last year's playoff run.
Chicago history: With the White Sox also headed to the postseason, this will be just the fourth time the Cubs and Sox have made the playoffs in the same year — joining 1906, 2008 and the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
What's next: The Cubs open their final series of the regular season with a doubleheader Friday in Boston, a scheduling change prompted by severe weather in the weekend forecast.
The bottom line: It's playoff baseball season in Chicago as the Cubs gear up for another October run.