NLDS Game 5, Cubs vs. Nationals: Highlights, recap and more

It was a wild night in the 2017 National League Division Series but despite a fierce battle, the Chicago Cubs beat the Nationals in Game 5 to move on to the NLCS.

The Cubs are moving on to the National League Championship Series after defeating the Washington Nationals 9-8 in Game 5 of the NLDS. This was a real nailbiter of a game that saw scoring duels, a blistering 5th inning and wild pitches galore

The action kicked off in the 1st inning when the Cubs scored Jon Jay on an Anthony Rizzo grounder. The Nationals had a huge 2nd inning when Daniel Murphy sent a solo shot into the stands followed by a 3-run homer from Michael Taylor. In the top of the 3rd Cubs’ Addison Russell grounded out, which scored Kris Bryant. That was followed by Willson Contreras scoring a run on a wild pitch to put the Cubs within 1.

Then came the 5th inning. Russell doubled with a grounder into the left corner that scored Contreras and Ben Zobrist. Then Javier Baez struck out swinging, but a throwing error by Nats catcher Matt Wieters scored Russell. Jon Jay was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and scored Jason Heyward to put the Cubs up 7-4 over the Nationals. Russell added another RBI double in the 6th to score Zobrist, making it 8-4 Cubs.

Washington narrowed the deficit in the bottom of the 6th when Ryan Zimmerman drew a walk, but a wild pitch from Mike Montgomery scored Jayson Werth. Murphy’s RBI double scored Bryce Harper to bring the score to 8-6 Cubs. The Cubs extended their lead in the 7th when Kris Bryant’s force out brought in Kyle Schwarber and the Nats answered with a Bryce Harper sacrifice fly that scored Taylor. Washington added another run when Taylor drove in Murphy in the bottom of the 8th on a grounder to center. 9-8 Cubs.

The 9th inning had the Nationals Park crowd on its feet. The Nats knocked down the Cubs and then the pressure was on in the bottom of the 9th with Bryce Harper up in a 2-out, full count situation and the season on the line. Harper struck out, sending the Cubs to the National League Championship Series.

Final

Chicago Cubs

9

Washington Nationals

8

Highlights

Three Stars

Addison Russell, SS, Cubs: Addison Russell had a big night that included a clutch left field grounder which scored two runs, giving the Cubs the lead over the Nats in the 5th inning. He stayed productive after that, adding another run to extend the Cubs’ lead.

Michael A Taylor, CF, Nationals: Taylor’s 3-run homer in the 2nd inning put the Nationals on the board and gave Washington some much-needed confidence after the Cubs scored first.

Wild Pitches and Errors: This wasn’t a clean game for either team and in the end, several of the mistakes ended up costing the Nationals two runs after Willson Contreras scored on a wild pitch and Addison Russell scored on a throwing error.

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Next Game

The Cubs will move on to the National League Championship Series to face the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. The Dodgers won their NLDS against the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-0 on back on Oct. 9, so the team will have enjoyed four full days of rest going into Game 1 of the NLCS. Game time is 8 p.m. ET and will air on TBS.