Is the race to win the National League central already over?
You are not supposed to start a story with a question. They teach you this kind of thing in the school of journalism, or at least they did it in ancient times when the dinosaurs have traveled the earth and we communicated our reflections on sport by giving random shapes like the battled bats on the sides of the caves.
Anyway. No prohibition points in the LEDE. It was the standard.
But the Cubs of Chicago break their standard this season, and maybe we should follow suit.
For 109 years, Cubs have called Wrigley Field Home. It is a nice stadium slipped into a dynamic district, and even if recent renovations have replaced the ancient charm of the region with a more modern and sterile (and expensive) atmosphere, there is always nothing like a afternoon in Wrigley.
One of the many things to love in the stadium is that for decades and decades is a launcher park. And it was a hitting park.
It all depends on the month.
At the start of the season, before Ivy turned green on the outside wall, the park has traditionally favored pitching. It can be quite cold in April in Chicago, and the persistent winds off Lake Michigan can shoot down the balls with a fly without remorse.
Then comes the transition to warmer temperatures, and in the heart of summer at the end of June, July and August, the ball absolutely jumps from the bats of the strikers to Wrigley. A routine flight ball on the left in another stadium can easily end up navigating the wall and landing in the famous stands.
Quite simple, right?
Cold Games at the start of the season, less offense. Hot games in the heart of summer, more offense.
Except that this season is already different in Chicago. This is the first week of May, and the Cubs score points as if July 4 was upon us.
During their first 36 games, the Cubs ranked first in the majors on average in the stick (0.262), third in basic percentage (0.338) and third as a percentage of slugging (0.456). This is added to a .794 OPS, which only follows New York Yankees (.811) and Los Angeles dodgers (.795).
The Cubs rank first in the first blows, fifth in double, first in triple and third in Home Runs. Oh, and by the way, they lead the majors with 46 stolen bases in 53 attempts.
Run! We have almost forgotten the races. They entered Tuesday with 217 points, which ranked first in the majors. The Yankees are second with 190 points, which is considerably behind the pace of Chicago.
All this occurs at the time of the season when Cubs are supposed to take up their biggest challenges to mark. If they do this now, imagine what they could do when it is 95 degrees and the sun beats.
The Cubs recipient, Carson Kelly, said that he and his teammates marked in different ways.
“I mean, it’s incredible,” Kelly said after 9-2 Monday’s victory over the San Francisco giants. “You see it today – Pressing other teams could lead to certain errors and could start a gathering. I think that is what is so dynamic about this team is that we have it in all different aspects.”
It is a bit ironic to suggest that the Central NL qualifying race is over, but the Cubs are in a privileged position to run away with the division while the season continues.
On Tuesday, the Cubs were 22 to 14 years old and had a four -game advance on the Reds of Cincinnati and the Brewers of Milwaukee. They had a five-game advance on the Cardinals of Saint-Louis and a lead of 10 games on the last Pittsburgh Pirates.
Adding the advantage is that Cubs have finished playing dodgers, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks for the rest of the regular season. The rest of their NL West calendar presents six games against Colorado rockies and five games against the Giants.
The Cubs therefore challenged the chances of starting the season as an offensive power station. They created a separation against a central division of NL which does not seem to have a monster waiting, although the Reds are young and exciting. And they have already finished their regular season games against some of the most difficult teams in the League.
On the deadline for trade, they are the Central NL team with the greatest capacity to increase their pay if they choose it. Their group in the section could be even stronger than the group they have today.
Is the race over?
This is a valid question, even if it is only the beginning of the history of CUBS 2025.
