As the left field bullpen doors swung open before the start of the ninth inning, Chicago Cubs right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn began his trot to the mound with one thought. “Just (get) the last three outs,” Zeferjahn said.
But there was something else that was creeping into his head.
The Cubs had a one-run lead over the Miami Marlins, and the final frame was all that separated them from a clinching playoff berth and a champagne celebration that Zeferjahn had seen numerous times on TV growing up.
Chicago Cubs clinch playoff spot for 2nd straight season and set sights on top NL wild-card seed
“I think that’s obviously in the back of your mind,” Zeferjahn admitted.
He suppressed it, though. The right-hander induced a popout, a groundout to shortstop and then a comebacker that he flipped to first baseman Michael Busch for the final out in a 2-1 win over the Marlins at Wrigley Field. It sealed the Cubs’ second straight playoff berth, clinching a National League wild-card spot.
It’s the first time they’ve made the postseason in consecutive years since doing so from 2015-18. The Cubs hold the second NL wild-card spot, a half-game behind the San Diego Padres, who play late Thursday.
So, how does the celebration compare to the ones he watched countless times on TV growing up?
“Completely different,” a soaked Zeferjahn said in the Cubs clubhouse. “You can’t put it into words. They all talk about what it meant, and you don’t know until you get that last out, and then you take the picture, and everyone’s in here celebrating, that’s amazing. It’s great.”
Zeferjahn was one of a handful of Cubs participating in the festivities for the first time as a major-leaguer.
Photos: Chicago Cubs beat Miami Marlins 2-1 to clinch playoff berth at Wrigley Field
Left-hander Ryan Rolison watched the game from the Cubs bullpen, then, when Zeferjahn recorded the final out, the memories became hazy.
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“I feel like I’m living on a dream right now,” Rolison said as a Cubs staffer poured beer over him. “Just from Zef closing the game out, I just kind of blacked out. You enjoy it with the fans on the field, and you just pop champagne. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”
As the euphoria transpired, rookie Pedro Ramírez stood off to the side, relishing a front-row view of the celebration that was much like the ones he had seen plenty of times growing up.
It allowed him to ponder on his journey this season, one that started with a breakout spring training that opened eyes in the organization to his potential. Then in May, the Cubs called him up when Matt Shaw landed on the injured list, with the expectation that he’d have the proverbial cup of coffee in the big leagues before going back to the minors.
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“It’s probably going to be a shorter stint,” Counsell said back on May 22, when Ramírez was brought up. “But I think it’s also good for him to get exposure to the major leagues, get exposure to the group, get exposure to the schedule so that if we run into a situation where it is a lot of playing time, that he doesn’t have to go through it for the first time while playing.”
Ramírez never went back down and instead turned into a key cog for the team, playing second base when Dansby Swanson went down with an oblique injury and Nico Hoerner was moved to short. Now, Ramírez has been playing third base as Alex Bregman recovers from facial fractures after a foul ball hit him in the face in Cincinnati.
“I’m happy to be here and enjoying this moment,” Ramírez told the Tribune in Spanish. “Since I’ve gotten here, I’ve wanted to experience this moment and see what it felt like.
“Being here in person is much more exciting than watching it on TV.”
Then, he was hugged by first-base coach José Javier before he was doused in champagne by bullpen catcher Erick Castro.
“It’s delicious,” a smiling Ramírez said.
The message to the group was that this can’t be the last time they’re popping champagne.
“There’s a handful of guys in here that got to do it for the first time,” said Pete Crow-Armstrong, who became the seventh player in MLB history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases after swiping second base in the first inning. “So I think that’s the most important thing is giving those guys a taste of what’s to come and kind of showing everybody that it’s only going to get more fun as we continue to win and get to celebrate.”
Thursday’s celebration was about the accomplishment of reaching the postseason. It’s the fourth time in Cubs history that they have made consecutive playoff appearances. Three of those times have happened in the last 20 years, and the other two happened before World War I (1906-1908 and 1885-1886).
Left-hander Matthew Boyd played in the playoffs in 2022 with the Seattle Mariners and now has been on a playoff team in four of his last five seasons. But it wasn’t always that easy.
“We were so close my second year in the big leagues (with the Detroit Tigers, who finished three games back in the American League wild card in 2015),” Boyd said. “I thought being the Tigers, you get to do it every year. And I didn’t get to celebrate for eight years.
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“It takes all of us to get to not only 162 but to get to this point. So you acknowledge that. You celebrate that. You have gratitude in that and also know that, ‘OK, job isn’t done.’ We got a big challenge this weekend to get to where we want to. We want to host games at Wrigley. We’ve got to take care of our business, and then after that obviously comes the challenge of the postseason.”
Andy Martinez is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.