James: 2003 NLDS game 3: Maddux vs Prior
In 2003, my dad scored 2 playoff tickets to the NLDS against the Braves. It was a childhood dream come true. Cubs were looking good for the playoffs, even though it was against the powerhouse Braves. Game 3's matchup: the former Cubs Greg Maddux, against the new stud Mark Prior. Our tickets were for the center field bleachers, right below the scoreboard. I never sat in the bleachers before. All the stars were aligned.
We got there early and settled in. There were friendly people sitting around us, so we chatted them up. The game started, and the Cubs put up 2 quick runs in the first inning. Wrigley was rocking. My dad and I sarcastically started doing the tomahawk chop and chanting. Then the people around us joined in. Any time the Cubs did something good, we did it. Over the course of the game, you could see it spread around the bleachers to the left and right. In the 8th inning, the Cubs would score again. By that time, the entire park was doing a pro-Cubs chop.
The Cubs would win 3-1. Their first playoff win at Wrigley in a long time. And I was there. I didn't go to another Cubs game until 2008. Nothing would live up to this memory, so I had little desire. It was silly, but also a testament to how satisfying this game was.
Staci: The Big Comeback vs. Houston, August 29, 1989
I'm going in the wayback machine for this one to the first big comeback win of my Cubs fandom. It was already the 6th inning and the Cubs were down 9-0 against their division rival Houston Astros (remember when we hated the Astros and didn't care at all about the Brewers? Good times.). Our heroes started with two runs that inning, then three in the seventh before tying it up with four runs in the eighth and ultimately sending the game into extra innings. It was another exciting chapter in a Division championship season, as the Cubs would win the game on a Dwight Smith walk off single in the bottom of the 10th inning.
Steve: Aramis Rameriz vs MIL, June 29, 2007
The Cubs were struggling up until this point in the season. They had brought in Alfonso Soriano, Cliff Floyd, Ted Lilly, and hired Lou Pinella to manage. This game was the first time the Cubs were .500 since May 10. I remember watching the game live and when Aramis stepped up to the plate down 5-4 with 2 outs in the ninth, you just knew he would do something special. And he delivered.
Tina: 2015 NLDS, Game 4 vs. STL
The 2015 season was an absolute joy. No one was expecting these guys to be that good and to get as far as they did in the post season. The ultimate experience (then) was seeing the Cubs beat the Cards in the NLDS. Until we won it in 2016, this was our equivalent of winning the World Series.
I was lucky to have scored Game 4 tickets in the lottery. I was originally disappointed that our seats were right behind a pole (seriously, why do they sell those??), but being at Wrigley during the postseason is an experience I'll never forget. Besides seeing them clinch the NLDS and send the Cards home for the season, I got to witness the majestic Schwarboard Homer. It wasn't just high, it was far!
Mercy. What in the world?
Brooke:
I was at the NLDS game 4 as well. I was seated in the 200 section outfield right above the bullpen. Maddon, I believe, used all his relief pitchers that game and everyone in our section would nervously be looking down to the bullpen to see who would be getting up next. The crowd around me was VERY vocal about all the bullpen decisions and it was the most into the game I'd felt at Wrigley in a while. Afterwards Wrigley didn't clear out that fast and all the players came out onto the field with their family and celebrated. The camera team stuck around and was projecting the players onto the outfield scoreboard. My friend and I stuck around for at least an hour just watching the players interact with the media, with their family, with each other. I think I'll always remember the teary eyed image of Starlin Castro holding his daughter and gazing out around the cheering crowd just overwhelmed in the moment.
Matt: Mine is a little different than the rest because I've already talked about my favorite memory (not from 2016) and you can read about it here. (Hint: It involves the letter 'K', and the number 20). The other favorite Cubs memory of mine was a game in which they lost.
It's August of 1998, I had just graduated from college in May and was a few months into my first real job. I was living in Northern Indiana and could get to Wrigley in 2 hours. So I made many weekend trips to Chicago to see the Cubs and visit my uncle in Schaumburg. I decide to go up on a Saturday to see a divisional game between the Cubs and Astros. The Cubs were good, but the Astros were even better. Their lineup featured HOF'ers Biggio and Bagwell, and studs like Derek Bell, Moises Alou, and Carl Everett. They were STACKED and they had just traded for The Big Unit (who was pitching that day against Dandy Don Wengert, lol). Biggio led off the game with a HR and it seemed that's all the Astros were gonna need. Randy Johnson was an absolute machine that day. He ended up going 7-innings with 9 strikeouts and was in control the whole game. He strutted off the mount at the end of each inning. There was something clearly different about him. We all knew that Biggio and Bagwell were special players but they didn't have a 1/10th the gravitas of Randy Johnson. His only blemish was a solo home run to Glenallen Hill.
The Cubs added a few runs late but ended up losing 8-3, and I didn't even care. You just knew you were watching someone special and that itself was a treat. Ended up staying late in the ballpark after the game and got to say hi to Billy Williams as he greeted some friends. Waited outside the park by the player's parking lot and said hi to Terry Mulholland as he signed TONS of autographs. Brant Brown big-timed people and ignored everyone. Yelled hi to Mark Grace as he left in his white Jaguar XJ convertible. I ended up catching the 'L' back to where I parked, had a burger and fries at a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant and reflected on a fun day. Baseball is great.
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