The Cubs Walk It Off 3 Nights in a Row

So.  

Last night in the 10th, Michael Busch - the Cubs' first baseman - took a walk on loaded bases to "walk-off" the game.  

For the Chicago Cubs, that was the third walk-off win in three games, their eighth straight win, and the 14th win in a row at Wrigley.  Cubs are now at 25-12.

This is after a clutch homer by Michael Conforto on May 4th, and Busch dinged one right past de la Cruz at SS on May 5th, sending Dansby Swanson in for the run. 

I don't know what the rest of the season holds, but right now, I'm having an alarming amount of fun watching baseball.  

Why Cincinnati decided to automatically walk both Suzuki in the 10th and then think *Busch* was the guy to challenge, I do not know.  I am not a baseball manager - I can't say what the right thing to do at any time would be in order to handle the chess match of sacrifices and best percentages.  But even I would have counted on Busch to keep cool in that pressure situation.  Suzuki is my guy - and I still think the Reds should have pitched against him instead.

This was after the Cubs trailed in the 9th, until Pete Crow-Armstrong (PCA to the fans) remembered how to hit a homer keeping us in the game with a 2 run play.  

But the point is - it's been a *run* by the Cubs.  And, yeah, it could end today, or it could keep going.  One never knows.  

What I do know is that this team is showing a joy playing I haven't seen out of the team in a long time and a resilience that will carry them into the play-offs.  Which is nuts, because our pitchers are all out.  Seriously.  

Justin Steele hasn't played since, like, May of 2025.  Cade Horton took himself out with a similar injury.  Boyd apparently tore his meniscus outside of the game doing god-knows-what (he claims playing with his kids).  We have so many out, we're pulling up guys from Iowa, and that meant Thornton was our closer last night, and he hadn't had the call to come up until 11:30 PM the night prior.

Our long time players like Nico Hoerner (2B) and Ian Happ (LF) are playing the best I think I've ever seen them.  Carson Kelly, catching, is doing a phenomenal job, but also is an ace at using the new ABS reviews.  His percentage of correct calls floats around 90%.  Dansby Swanson is performing stunts at Short Stop.  

And what can you say about Alex Bregman?  As if having a great third baseman isn't enough, he's solid at the bat and seems to be one of the forces behind the winning spirit the Cubs have this season.

Anyway - it's a team that really feels like it's going to not just show up for the play-offs, they feel like they're going to be trouble for other teams.  I know it's just May, and it's a marathon, not a print - so I'm just enjoying what I'm seeing now.  

But baseball teaches you about patience, adjustments, and the longer, bigger picture.  You can enjoy any given pitch, any given frame, any given game, any given series - but I think you can also just enjoy the *hope*, you know?  

I'm just part of it as a fan sitting several states away.  But I sure am enjoying the ride.

But maybe not as much as PCA.