The Fall from Grace for the North Siders and the Way Forward
Trayce Thompson adjusted his helmet and stepped into the box. Throwing his bat towards the pitchers mound he shrugged his shoulders and held his bat high over his back shoulder. Looking in at him sixty feet six inches away was the former World Champion Cub’s pitcher Jon Lester, dawning the white uniform and red hat with St. Louis scrawled across the front of his jersey. Acquired by the Cardinals before the trade deadline, the once deadliest pitcher in the league stared down his glove, intensely glaring at the catcher, the ball tightly clenched in his hand. With the bases loaded and 2 outs in the 5th inning, the first turning point in what had been a Cardinals dominated September had come to fruition, and it was up to the skinny Cubs outfielder in the batters box to push back.
Trayce Thompson was a walking wounded member of the Dodgers back in 2016, but he still remembered vividly what he watched from the Dugout in Los Angeles; the damage that Jon Lester could inflict at will upon hitters who didn’t respect his ability.
It was the 6th time the Cubs had played the Cardinals in the previous week, and the Cubs hadn’t found the win column yet. It felt like every time the Cubs got a scoring opportunity with bases loaded less than 2 outs, it was…
