A magical season on the North Side of Chicago hit another high point Tuesday when ace Jake Arrieta threw a complete-game shutout in the Chicago Cubs' 4-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Arrieta became the first pitcher in the major leagues to reach the 20-win plateau and trimmed the Cubs' magic number to reach the postseason to three.
The right-hander struck out 11 hitters and lowered his ERA to a sparkling 1.88 in a potential Cy Young campaign that already includes a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers in August.
The Chicago Tribune shared a photo of the triumphant Arrieta celebrating with his teammates:
The Cubs have not reached the playoffs since 2008 and are understandably thrilled with the way this season has progressed behind Arrieta, Jon Lester and a host of young stars such as Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant. The team's Twitter account reflected on the year as a whole during the celebration of Arrieta's accomplishment:
The 20-win mark was not the only impressive number Arrieta reached Tuesday. Per the team, he set a franchise record with 18 consecutive quality starts and became the first Cubs pitcher since 2001 to win 20 games in a season. Baseball Tonight noted Arrieta is the first Cubs hurler to win 20 before anyone else in the majors since Rick Sutcliffe did so in 1984.
Despite the impressive accomplishment, Arrieta already had his eyes on his next start after the brief celebration, per Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago: “I know the results have been good, but I don't dwell on it for too long, because tomorrow I'm getting ready for Pittsburgh.”
That dedication goes a long way toward explaining Arrieta's victory total.
In today's analytics-driven baseball world, the perceived value of pitcher wins has declined in recent years for more effective stats such as WHIP and fielding independent pitching. However, Bomani Jones of ESPN pointed out there is still something magical about reaching 20 in a season:
While Arrieta was the main attraction during Tuesday's victory, Bryant also made some history when he drilled a two-run home run in the third inning. The Chicago Sun-Times noted the third baseman broke the team record Billy Williams held for most home runs as a rookie with 26.
Bryant's three RBI were more than enough for Arrieta to pick up win No. 20.
Perhaps the only concern for Cubs fans with October around the corner is the fact their ace threw 123 pitches Tuesday. He has already far surpassed his previous career high of 156.2 innings pitched in a season, although Drew Silva of Hardball Talk acknowledged Arrieta seems to be getting stronger as the campaign progresses:
The numbers support that claim. ESPN Stats & Info pointed out Arrieta's shutout lowered his ERA since Aug. 4 to a stunning 0.48, which is the fourth-best mark in a 10-game stretch since earned runs became official in both leagues in 1913.
The only question now for the Cubs as they hurdle toward the postseason is who will start the National League Wild Card Game against the Pittsburgh Pirates (if the standings hold). Arrieta would seem like the obvious choice, but Lester has started 12 postseason games with a career 2.57 ERA.
Arrieta, on the other hand, has never appeared in a postseason contest.
Still, former pitcher and current Fox Sports analyst Dontrelle Willis believes Arrieta has done enough to merit the start:
If the Chicago ace pitches like he did Tuesday in that wild-card showdown, Cubs fans will get to see more than just one playoff game this year.
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