It couldn’t have been known right after the 2016 World Series that Schwarber would be so bad early in 2017 that he’d have to be sent to Triple-A Iowa for a while. Also, Kyle Schwarber was expected back from injury as a fulltime outfielder. The Cubs had too many outfielders after 2016, and seemed as if they wanted to give Albert Almora Jr. Jorge Soler is probably still traded, but for someone other than Davis Rondon didn’t get his closer job back in 2017. Management had lost faith in Hector Rondon as closer, which is why Chapman was acquired. The Cubs treated Aroldis like they knew they wouldn’t be keeping him past that season.īut if they lose? Even on a walkoff homer off Chapman? The Yankees signed Chapman to a five-year, $86 million deal after 2016. Losing Game 7 could have been an even bigger failure. You saw how Maddon was treated after the failures in 20. Sure, Maddon’s “Never let the pressure exceed the pleasure” mantra helped get Cubs players to relax and perform well, but after a loss like that, Theo Epstein might have become even more impatient with Maddon. Though he had three years left on his contract after 2016, if the Cubs don’t win Game 7 the pressure to win becomes even more intense on Maddon and the ballclub. Maddon might have been given only one more year to try to win Oh, sure, the Cubs at least got to the World Series, but the blowing of two multiple-run leads in Game 7, one with just four outs to go, would have weighed heavily on Maddon’s legacy. I know this because, four years later, people are still giving Maddon grief for that even though the Cubs eventually won Game 7 and the World Series.Ī loss would have put Maddon in a category along with Dusty Baker and Lou Piniella - big-name managers who came to Chicago and failed. Maddon would have been mercilessly taken apart for his use of Chapman in Game 6 when he wasn’t needed. Joe Maddon would have gone from Cubs hero to Cubs goat in an instant Here are a few things that I think would have changed if the Cubs had lost Game 7. So what would have the effects been on the Cubs going forward? It would have been a crushing defeat, without a doubt the worst in Cubs franchise history. You know the rest: The Cubs won the game 8-7 and ended their 108-year World Series drought.īut what if that ball hit by Kipnis does go as far as Tom Hamilton wanted it to and lands in the seats for a walkoff homer? That would have ended Cleveland’s 68-year World Series drought and the Cubs’ would have continued. Chapman had nothing, everyone in the ballpark knew he had nothing left, and yet he got three outs when the Cubs needed them most. That ninth inning was one of the guttiest pitching performances I’ve ever seen. Kipnis eventually ran the count full, but Chapman struck him out. And then you can hear Hamilton’s disappointment. Listen to Indians radio announcer Tom Hamilton on the video clip - at first his excited tone leads you to believe that. Your browser does not support HTML5 video.įor just a second, the way the ball left the bat, it appeared that Jason Kipnis had hit that 1-1 pitch from Aroldis Chapman into the right-field seats at Progressive Field for a walkoff homer.
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