Sports
Cubs Vs. Dodgers: Chicago's Magic From Last Season Finally Wears Off In 11-1 Loss
Chicago couldn't overcome an early deficit and fall to Los Angeles in Thursday's Game 5 of the National League Championship Series.
CHICAGO, IL — Nearly a year after winning the 2016 World Series, the magic was over for the Chicago Cubs as Major League Baseball's defending champs. The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cubs, 11-1, in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday at Wrigley Field, crushing Chicago's hopes of playing in back-to-back Fall Classics.
The outcome of the game —as well as the series and the Cubs' 2017 season — seemed inevitable when Dodgers left fielder Enrique Hernandez hit a grand slam in the third inning, putting Los Angeles up 7-0. The 390-foot shot to right field drained the lingering energy from a Wrigley crowd that was electric to start Thursday night's elimination game. It also sucked the remaining life from a Cubs team that looked flat and tired from the series' outset after coming off a tough-won NL Division Series against the Washington Nationals.
To add insult to injury, Hernandez hit a two-run blast in the ninth. It was his third home run in the game, and he tied the major league record for most homers in a playoff game. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Lake View — or your neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)
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Third baseman Kris Bryant provided the only offense for Chicago with a solo homer to left in the fourth inning. Not even a seventh-inning stretch led by former Cubs catcher David Ross, a key member of last year's title-winning squad, could jump start the North Siders.
The Dodgers now advance to the World Series for the first time in 29 years. They await the winner of the American League Championship Series between the New York Yankees and Houston Astros.
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Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jose Quintana in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday, Oct. 19, at Wrigley Field. (Photo by Matt Slocum | Associated Press)
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