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CINCINNATI \u2014 Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki quickly learned Wednesday evening in Pittsburgh that ski goggles aren\u2019t effective protection against champagne.<\/p>\n
As the Cubs celebrated punching their ticket to the playoffs, the liquid seeped through the foam behind the lenses and rolled down into his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI learned that it hurts that badly for the first time,\u201d Suzuki said before the Cubs opened a series against the Reds on Thursday, recalling the sting. \u201c… It was fine in the beginning, but then somebody sprayed champagne in my eyes and my contacts flew out.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was Suzuki\u2019s first time celebrating a playoff berth with champagne \u2014 in Nippon Professional Baseball, they use beer. And while the Cubs have plenty of postseason veterans in their clubhouse, left fielder Ian Happ is the only one who has appeared in a postseason game for the Cubs.<\/p>\n
That exclusive club reflects just how much turnover the team has had over the past half-decade in the process of building a playoff contender.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone buying into to win is just such an amazing part of this game and being a part of professional sports,\u201d shortstop Dansby Swanson said. \u201cAnd so it\u2019s cool seeing grown men celebrate like kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cubs quickly turned to their next goal \u2014 claiming home-field advantage, whether that be through a division title or top wild-card spot. But it\u2019s worth reflecting on the path that brought them to their first postseason since 2020.<\/p>\n
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer promised at the 2021 trade deadline that the staggering overhaul that sent out nine major-league players for a band of mostly prospects, and dismantled the championship core, would accelerate the Cubs\u2019 path back into contention.<\/p>\n
Those words, however, were little consolation for fans mourning the departures of 2016 World Series cornerstones Anthony Rizzo, Javy Baez and Kris Bryant.<\/p>\n
The Cubs went 21-37 the rest of the year. And the following season was fruitless, as the team plodded along to a 74-88 record and third-place finish in the division.<\/p>\n
The foundation of the group that would go on to end the drought, however, was beginning to take shape.<\/p>\n
Happ and second baseman Nico Hoerner were stepping into leadership roles and serving as a bridge to the previous era.<\/p>\n
The Cubs also signed Suzuki out of Japan before the 2022 season, envisioning his gradual establishment in MLB going hand-in-hand with the club\u2019s rise.<\/p>\n
\u201cMajor League Baseball, it\u2019s so hard, it\u2019s such a competitive league, and all the teams are very good,\u201d Suzuki said. \u201cBut to grow with your team, and then continue to play, and then now we\u2019ve punched our ticket to make the postseason, I\u2019m very excited.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cubs\u2019 first high-profile offseason splash came in December 2022, when they inked Swanson to a seven-year deal worth $177 million.<\/p>\n
His signing reflected a changing tide. And that season, the Cubs fell one game short of the playoffs.<\/p>\n
The Cubs then stunned the baseball world that winter when they fired manager David Ross after four seasons at the helm and hired former Brewers manager Craig Counsell in one fell swoop.<\/p>\n
The move overshadowed the rest of the team\u2019s moves that offseason \u2014 even the fortuitous acquisition of left-hander Shota Imanaga and trade for first baseman Michael Busch.<\/p>\n
But the Cubs\u2019 2024 was defined by a brutal slump in May and June. Even after a second-half rebound, the Cubs finished with the same record as the previous season (83-79) but six games out of a wild-card spot.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 2023, we came really close; last year was an odd season the way it played out,\u201d Hoyer said Wednesday during the celebration. \u201cThe way this season\u2019s gone, I feel like really, from start to finish, we\u2019ve played really good baseball.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur peaks and valleys have been pretty minor, honestly, when you look at the grand scheme of things. And I think the consistency of this team is really impressive. Hitting carried us early, pitching had really carried us late, so everyone in this room really contributed so much.\u201d<\/p>\n
By last week, the Cubs had already passed that previously insurmountable 83-win mark.<\/p>\n
Acquiring right fielder Kyle Tucker last offseason made it possible for the team to roll out one of the best run-scoring offenses in the majors for the first half. And though the Cubs\u2019 offensive production dipped after the All-Star break, and the team is trailing the Brewers in the division race, the Cubs remain in control of the wild-card race.<\/p>\n
Left fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and closer Daniel Palencia, who were among the prospects the Cubs landed at the 2021 trade deadline, seized high-profile roles on the team this year. Right-hander Cade Horton and third baseman Matt Shaw, first-round draft picks in 2022 and 2023, have been major contributors.<\/p>\n
They all celebrated clinching the first postseason berth of their major-league careers Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a fun thing to do,\u201d Counsell said Wednesday after a champagne-soaked team picture on the PNC Park outfield grass. \u201cYou don\u2019t get to do this in regular jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was the first time this season that the Cubs failed to have multiple hits.<\/p>\n
The Cubs swept the Pirates in three games to claim a spot in the postseason.<\/p>\n
Tucker has been sidelined for two weeks.<\/p>\n
When the Cubs punched their ticket Wednesday, they ended a four-year playoff drought.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":95415,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n