CHICAGO -- Joe Maddon posed for a selfie on the field with his wife. Jon Lester sprayed champagne with his young son. Rocker Eddie Vedder partied on the mound.
For the Chicago Cubs and their ever-hopeful fans, this bash was a long time in the making.
Kyle Schwarber, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez homered and the fresh Cubs clinched a postseason series at Wrigley Field for the first time ever, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 Tuesday to win the NL Division Series in four games.
"This is all just baseball fantasy, right?" a drenched chairman Tom Ricketts said.
Only once since they last brought home the World Series in 1908 had the Cubs won a playoff series and never before had they finished off the job at their century-plus-old ballpark.
But with a raucous, towel-waving crowd jamming the Friendly Confines, the North Siders gave generations of fans exactly what they wanted. And as they gathered in the pulsating neighborhood, the lit-up marquee at Wrigley Field said it all: Cubs Win (see full recap).
Kershaw, Dodgers force decisive Game 5 vs. Mets
NEW YORK -- Clayton Kershaw ended his five-game postseason skid with seven brilliant innings while pitching on three days' rest and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Mets 3-1 Tuesday night to force a deciding Game 5 in the NL Division series.
MLB
The series shifts back to Dodger Stadium on Thursday.
Game 2 winner Zack Greinke will try to lead the Dodgers to a spot in the NL Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs. Jacob deGrom, who beat Kershaw in Game 1, is set to start for the Mets.
Kershaw gave up one run and three hits. The reigning NL MVP and Cy Young Award winner was 1-6 with a 4.99 ERA for his postseason career entering this start (see full recap).