What Went Wrong: No, Cubs, No

Who here remembers the evening of November 2, 2016? One of the best dates in recent baseball history. On that evening, that Wednesday evening, the Chicago Cubs finally did it. An 8-7 victory over the then-named Cleveland Indians in Game Seven of the World Series; finally winning the Fall Classic after 108 years of suffering. It was an amazing moment that many fans will never forget.

The Cubs have tried to get that spark back, but haven't come close. This year was an interesting one. The Cubs looked like they were on the pace to win the National League Central, but they did fall off a bit. The slight fall became a descend, as the Cubs went on quite the losing skid, but thankfully, the National League was not deep this year. The Cubs still went on to do just enough to make it back to the postseason, doing so as a Wild Card, and they would face off against the San Diego Padres for the second straight year. The Cubs ousted the Padres last year, needing the full three games to do so.

Unfortunately, the Padres remembered last year.

Game One was a disaster for Cubs. An 8-0 drubbing that saw the Cubs held to just three hits. Game Two saw the Padres strike early again, and while the Cubs did get on the board, it wasn't close to enough. 4-1 was the final score, and that was that. The Cubs season over in just two games, and the answer to "What Went Wrong" is an easy one: their bats went totally cold.

Pete Crow-Armstrong. Tied for the overall MLB lead in HRs with 45. Big time favorite to win the NL MVP award. But in the 2026 postseason? Nothing. The Cubs had eight hits total in the series. None of them were PCA's, as he went 0-for-7 and struck out four times. Of the eight hits, Nico Hoerner had four of them, and had the team's only extra base hit (a double) and drove in their only run. Seiya Suzuki went 2-for-7 and scored that aforementioned run, and Carson Kelly and Tyrone Taylor had a hit each. Alex Bregman, in his first season with the Cubs, went 0-for-8 and struck out four times. It was an absolute mess.

So with that, it's been a full decade since that dream Cubs season, though at least it's one decade and not almost eleven of them. They've won only two postseason series since then; the following year's NLDS over the Nationals, and last year's Wild Card Series.

And as the updated bracket shows, the San Diego Padres are off to the National League Division Series, where they will face the top ranked Milwaukee Brewers in a battle between two teams who debuted in 1969--the year that Divisional Play began in MLB. This will be the first ever postseason meeting between these two clubs. As for the Cubs, well, the offseason begins early for the North Siders, though they do have something to look forward to. The countdown is on for Cubs fans, as it's only a matter of time before Pete Crow-Armstrong is named MVP of the National League. 45 homers (tied for the Major League lead), which was also part of PCA's 40-40 season, so yeah, it's a foregone conclusion that he'll be the NL MVP. As for the team overall, the potential is there for them. We will see what the offseason will bring them, and what pieces they'll attempt to acquire. They don't need much; from the looks of it, the Cubs are one or two additions away from partying like it's 2016.