Oct 7, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Javier Baez (9) hits a home run against the San Francisco Giants during the eighth inning during game one of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball series at Wrigley Field. Photo Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Baez launched a 3-2 pitch into Wrigley Field’s left field basket to break open a scoreless pitchers’ duel between Giants starter Johnny Cueto and Cubs left-hander Jon Lester.
Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman allowed a two-out double to Buster Posey in the ninth, but got Hunter Pence to ground out to Baez at second to lock down the victory and claim a save.
The victory gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series, which resumes on Saturday night.
Lester departed for pinch hitter Tommy La Stella with two out in the eighth. He gave up five hits, struck out five and walked none in an efficient 86-pitch outing for the victory.
Cueto, who took the loss, otherwise had a crisp three-hitter but topped 100 pitches by the eighth inning and closed with 121. He struck out 10 while walking none.
The low-scoring game was the sixth straight one-run game between the teams, including four at Wrigley Field in early September.
The Giants threatened with two outs in the fourth when Angel Pagan lined a 3-1 pitch to left for what appeared to be the final out. Instead, the ball slipped past the outstretched glove of Ben Zobrist for a hit that also advanced Posey to third. Lester escaped the inning as Brandon Crawford grounded to short.
Kris Bryant’s one-out double to left in the bottom of the fourth was the Cubs’ first hit of the game. But Chicago came up empty as Anthony Rizzo and Zobrist followed with groundouts to second.
Cubs catcher David Ross thwarted potential Giants’ threats with two pickoffs in the early going. He threw out Gorkys Hernandez at second in the opening inning and then caught Conor Gillaspie leading too far off first base in the third.
Ross lined a long fly to left center in the Cubs’ third that would have gone for extra bases except for a sliding catch by Hernandez on the warning track.
NOTES: Giants manager Bruce Bochy has named RHP Jeff Samardzija (12-11, 3.81 ERA) as Saturday’s Game 2 starter while Madison Bumgarner (15-9, 2.74) goes against Cubs RHP Jake Arrieta (18-8, 3.10) in Game 3 on Monday at AT&T Park. … Samardzija had a rough outing in his only appearance at Wrigley Field on Sept. 1, allowing three runs in four innings. … Since 2010, the Giants have reached the postseason four times with World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014. … Chicago’s final NLDS 25-man roster announced Friday left off RHP Jason Hammel, a 15-game winner during the regular season who suffered right elbow tightness and missed his final start. … The Cubs are making back-to-back postseason appearances for only the second time since 1909 and first since 2007-08. … RHP Kyle Hendricks carries a 2.13 ERA, the major league’s lowest, into Saturday night’s game against the Giants.
