Cubs' Javier Baez steals home on Dodgers in Game 1
CHICAGO – Chants of “Ja-vy! Ja-vy!’’ reverberated throughout Wrigley Field twice in the second inning Saturday as the Chicago Cubs went up 3-0 early in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series.
Javier Baez was again taking over a postseason game, this time accomplishing something that had not been done in over a century.
The dynamic second baseman, who drove in the winning run in two of the Cubs’ three victories in the Division Series, had his hands and feet all over a two-run second inning that had the crowd buzzing.
After Jason Heyward led off with a triple off Los Angeles Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda, Baez drove him in with a blooper behind shortstop, dashing all the way to second and making it with a headfirst slide. He reached third on a wild pitch and, with pitcher Jon Lester at the plate, stole home for Chicago’s third run, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
The first postseason steal of home by a Cub since 1907 was probably not designed that way. Baez initially broke for the plate on what appeared to be a safety squeeze – a favorite tactic of manager Joe Maddon – and when catcher Carlos Ruiz fired to third trying to nab him, the uber-aggressive Baez bolted home and beat the throw by third baseman Justin Turner.