Cubs Beat Pirates 4-0 In NL Wild Card Game
PITTBURGH (AP) - The Chicago Cubs put the finishing touches on a victory in the National League wild card game beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0 Wednesday.
Jake Arrieta, Dexter Fowler and Kyle Schwarber helped the Cubs carry a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning in Pittsburgh. Chicago wins their first playoff game since the 2003 NLCS.
Arrieta was terrific over the first seven innings, allowing just three hits while striking out nine. Arrieta ended the regular season winning his last 11 decisions while compiling a 0.41 ERA over the final two months. Fowler led off the game with a single and stole second before scoring on Schwarber's single. Schwarber added a two-run blast that scored Fowler in the third inning, and Fowler launched a solo shot that put the Cubs ahead 4-0 in the fifth.
Pirates ace Garret Cole was reached for the four runs and six hits in five innings.
Tempers flared in the seventh inning after Pirates reliever Tony Watson drilled Arrieta in the left side with a fastball. Arrieta and Watson exchanged words near home plate and the bullpens and benches briefly emptied onto the field. The teams gathered around each other along the first base line but there were no punches thrown except from Pirates first baseman Sean Rodriguez, who clobbered a drink cooler in the dugout.
Arrieta hit two Pirates earlier in the game, though neither appeared intentional.
The Cubs will take on the Cardinals in Game 1 of the NL division series on Friday.
Coming up Thursday, the American League Division playoffs begin with games in Kansas City and Toronto.
The Blue Jays will host the Rangers in the afternoon with 18-game winner David Price going for the home team against Yovani Gallardo. The Jays won the American League East title, while the Rangers finished first in the AL West.
The night game has the Royals entertaining the Astros, who advanced to the ALDS with a 3-0 win over the Yankees in Tuesday's wild card game. The Royals have announced they'll start Yordano Ventura against Houston's 19-game winner Collin McHugh.
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