The difference between the Dodgers and the Cubs in the NLCS was slim. However, the advantage the Cubs had was apparent for anyone looking in the right places.
When the Chicago Cubs made Joe Maddon their manager before the 2015 season, the entire culture of the team went through a change. Many thought the Cubs were still a year or two away from reaching their potential, but Joe Maddon helped them immediately reach the NLCS. Entering 2016, they were easy favorites. The young team that over-performed their expectations in 2015 only got better before the beginning of 2016.
With the target squarely on their back, Maddon urged the Cubs to “embrace the target.” He was armed with many similar phrases like the “try not to suck” and “respect 90,” but the most important phrase he impressed on his team was “do the little things right.”
Doing the little things right means focusing on the fundamentals, playing good defense, and treating each game like it matters. The Cubs took this to heart. It was obvious that they did by how they played all season long. They had the best defense, they had a consistently great offense, and their pitching was one of the best in baseball. They had a great roster full of great players, but more importantly they focused on doing all the little things right.
That mentality was unlike any Chicago Cubs team of recent memory. The 2008 Cubs were full of individually impressive players, as were the 2003 Cubs. And yet, they fell short. Fans and analysts pointed to these 2008 and 2003 teams as reasons why the Cubs would fall short in 2016. They failed to recognize the difference in the 2016 Cubs: they do the little things right.
They did the little things right all series long against the Dodgers. They were able to win Game 1 behind an impressive performance from Jon Lester, and the offense pouring it on Kenta Maeda. They fell short in games 2 and 3, being beaten by Kershaw and Hill in dominating fashion. It appeared as though the Dodgers had a stranglehold on the best team in baseball. The Cubs kept with their year-long strategy. Do the little things right. If they did that, they knew they would be able to win.
In games 4 and 5, the offense came alive. They continued to make the great defensive plays they had all season long, and they continued to pitch their butts off. They knew if they continued to do every little thing right, they would wear the Dodgers down.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers were busy falling apart. To no fault of their team, the Dodgers simply couldn’t handle the Cubs for any longer. They fell apart. Their pitching after Kershaw was bland, and their pitching after Kershaw and Hill was flat out horrendous. Their defense made five errors in game 4. When it mattered the most, they stopped doing the little things right, while the Cubs continued playing fundamental baseball.
In Game 6, this was blatantly apparent. As the Cubs defense, Kyle Hendricks, and Aroldis Chapman worked together to shut down the Dodgers offense, they were able to win the National League pennant for the first time in 71 years. The Chicago Cubs played an incredibly clean game on all sides of the ball. They hit from the start of the game against the best pitcher in baseball. They played stellar defense, making almost no mistakes. The pitching was lights out. Kyle Hendricks pitched one of his best games in a very impressive season. On the other side, the Dodgers made errors, failed to get on base, and were unable to stop the mighty Cubs.
The Chicago Cubs have moved on to the World Series. They will face a Cleveland Indians team that resembles them in some ways. The Indians have young talent, benefit from good depth, and have been boosted by a few good free agent signings. The Cubs, however, should be large favorites. They have the best pitching, offense, and defense. If they continue to do the little things right, their curse, like the White Sox and Red Sox curses before them, will become a distant memory.
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