On the first day of Cubsmas
My true love gave to me
An Anthony Rizzo retirement for the ages,
On the second day of Cubsmas
My true love gave to me
A $2 scorecard
And an Anthony Rizzo retirement for the ages
On the third day of Cubsmas
My true love gave to me
Three Schwarbombs in the first All-Star Game Home Run Swing-Off
On the fourth day of Cubsmas
My true love gave to me
Four playoff wins
On the fifth day of Cubsmas
My true love gave to me
A five game winning streak
On the sixth day of Cubsmas My true
love gave to me A six (and a half) game lead A five game winning streak Four playoff wins Three Schwarbombs in the first All-Star Game Home Run Swing-Off A $2 scorecard And an Anthony Rizzo retirement for the ages
As we continue to reminisce about the 2025 Cubs let’s head back to mid June, when the Cubs had their largest lead in the division. That peak came on June 17 after a win against the Brewers at Wrigley Field.
Ben Brown started that game. He went five innings and gave up six hits and two runs while striking out five and walking just one batter. You can see all five strikeouts here:
He gave up this two-run home run to Isaac Collins in the second inning:
Seiya Suzuki answered back with a three run homer of his own to make it 4-2 in the fourth:
The Brewers tacked on another run in the sixth to make it 4-3. Then Pete Crow-Armstrong put an exclamation point on the W with one of his most memorable home runs of 2025, this long solo shot off the video board in right field in the bottom of the eighth:
Daniel Palencia gave up a hit, but earned his seventh save on the year relatively uneventfully:
This game had a bit of everything that went right for the Cubs in 2025. Seiya and PCA going bridge in the same game, effective pitching and bullpen management, and yes, some great defense. First up, a gold glover in left field, Ian Happ:
That ball could have been trouble for the Cubs, especially with two runners on base. In the top of the eighth with no one on, PCA absolutely stole a Brice Turang double with one of his best catches of the year and of course you want to see it again:
It didn’t have the drama of the April comeback against the Diamondbacks or the catharsis of a walk off win, but this victory had a bit of everything. It seems fitting that the high point of the Cubs season in the NL Central was about as picture perfect a win as the Cubs had all year.
