With offense working on the 18th consecutive scoreless innings, and with the best pitchers of baseball on the mound, it was fair to assume that the Cubs were toasted last night. And it’s definitely an understandable feeling that created what Really So incredible happened.
To open the 9th inning, Coward Schwarber, a left-hander and possibly desperate against the header, tried to get to his base. He also tried it with two strikes. He fouled the ball, and it’s a strikeout. It really fits the tone of the last two nights.
But then one came out and with Cubs going down two, Jovi Bez sent the liner another way for a solid single from Josh Header. Nice. Good for Buzz’s mindset, maybe, but doesn’t make sense when you’re talking about headers. Then, two strikes down, Anthony Rizzo – playing shirtless under his jersey and his two wide chains – reached down to take a tight slider in a suitable field for himself. I started thinking to myself about the possibilities.
Specifically, I wanted Billy Hamilton to pinch there – the wish was granted – and then I wanted Hamilton to take a shot during the second theft. My thinking was that it was so impossible for the header to get anything more than one that the only real shot to tie the game to the Cubs was to bring Hamilton into scoring position.
But Hamilton never went. He danced the first bass for a few plaques, and 1-2 down in the countdown with Jason Hayward, it felt like a stealing window when Hayward had a chance to become something, he was already lost.
Well, I was very wrong about what could happen to the header, of which Lefty is a .122 / .224 / .258 hit for his career. Hayward Fastb is well located inside and is completely wrecked to give the cub a lead. Then, for good reason, the new Cub Ildemero Vargas went back-to-back with one of his own submerged shots:
My mind was getting lost. It was one of those beautiful baseball moments where I just couldn’t see the flat I was looking at. That kind of comeback just doesn’t happen against Josh Header. I mean, in the extremely rare event that Is As has happened over the last few years, I have celebrated and shared it like most news, regardless of which team it is facing. It’s rare! And the game-changing Homer to be lefty with two strikes? That is Literally Only happened once before the header.
Random fun over Cubs’ incredible 9th inning …
Repeat how rare it was:
This is the third time in his career that Josh Header has allowed multiple HRs in the same innings of the game (and the fourth time he has allowed multiple HRs overall).
This is the first time he has allowed 2 HR in the * 9th * innings of the game.
– Sarah Langs (@slangsonsports) September 13, 2020
Josh Heather has never allowed a two, two-strike home run in any of his career appearances. #Browers
– Lance Brosdowski (Lancebros) September 13, 2020
Only he didn’t say fun:
Fun! pic.twitter.com/iVcZ4F6u84
– Chicago Cubs (2 Cubs) September 13, 2020
A hilarious screenshot and silly art:
LMFAO pic.twitter.com/ftcdOfIxKg
– Bleacher Nation (@ Bleacher Nation) September 13, 2020
Ildemero Vargas (b. 1991)
“Pain”
Mixed media, bat on the ball pic.twitter.com/NyZFBfR2qm
– Bleacher Nation (@ Bleacher Nation) September 13, 2020
A highly unlikely comeback for the Cubs, when you have no reference to who the big crowd was:
The Brewers were expecting a 96.3% win by tonight. pic.twitter.com/VEYtTMzA32
– Jordan Bastian (@mmlbastian) September 13, 2020
