The National League wild card game consisted of the Chicago Cubs and the Colorado Rockies.  Both the Rockies and Cubs made the playoffs last season.  The Cubs made the playoffs last year by winning their own division.  The Rockies on the other hand made the playoffs last year as well, by getting the second Wild Card spot and eventually lost the game to last year’s Arizona Diamondbacks 11-8. 

On Tuesday, October 2nd. the Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs faced off in the one game win or go home Wild Card Game that was played in Chicago at Wrigley Field. 

The Cubs gave the nod to their veteran starting pitcher John Lester, who has a career postseason ERA of 2.55 in 25 postseason starts coming into Tuesday night. 

Meanwhile, the Rockies threw out their young-stud pitcher Kyle Freeland, who is only in his second full season in the big leagues and has never made a postseason appearance. 

Lester and Freeland went toe-to-toe by only combining to give up one earned run through six innings. 

John Lester gave up one earned run in the first inning by a sacrifice-fly to the Rockies all-star third basemen Nolan Arenado, which scored the Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackman.  After that one lone earned run, Lester finished his outing strong by getting nine batters out on strikes through six innings pitched.   

His counterpart Kyle Freeland had a gem of his own in that game.  Freeland pitched six-and-two-thirds innings without allowing any runs.

When both Lester and Freeland left the game it was a battle of the two team’s bullpens.  However, the Cubs managed to scratch across one run in the bottom of the eighth inning when the Cubs MVP candidate Javier Baez stepped up to the plate and ripped an RBI double into center field to tie the game up at one. 

After Baez’s RBI double both teams were held scoreless all the way into the top of the 13th inning until, the Rockies back-up catcher Toney Wolters ripped a hard-go-ahead RBI single into center to give Colorado the lead again.  

The Rockies would hold on to that one run lead into the bottom of the 13th inning when their reliever Scott Oberg came in to close out the and send the Colorado Rockies to their first National Division Series since 2006.

Photo Credited to: USAToday