Ian Happ, the longest-tenured player on the Chicago Cubs' playoff roster, came into Thursday night with just two hits this postseason.
His third hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning at Wrigley Field, where his Cubs survived an elimination game for the second straight day.
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As was the case in Game 3 of the NLDS, Chicago's Game 4 featured plenty of run pressure in the first inning. This time the Cubs added three insurance runs. They were the cherry on top of their surgical delivery. Matthew Boyd received a standing ovation for his 4 2/3 shutout innings, and his relievers closed out the game with a 6-0 victory.
Chicago will head back up I-94 to Milwaukee for a winner-take-all Game 5 on Saturday night. A trip to the NLCS will be on the line.
Boyd set the tone on the mound with a quick three out after Christian Yelich's walk. The southpaw struck out six times and allowed only two hits.
Freddy Peralta also scored 6 points, but he didn't make it out of the first half unscathed. Peralta, mocked with “Freddie” chants between innings, gave up a single to Nico Horner, a four-pitch walk to Kyle Tucker and an eventual three-run dinger to Hupp.
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The Cubs scored again in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Matt Shaw hit an RBI single to center. Kyle Tucker hit a single to center, and Michael Bush followed in his footsteps in the next inning.
The Brewers have lost five potential game-changers in a row dating back to Game 7 of the 2018 NLCS. Their 97-win season suddenly hangs in the balance.
