2021 Cubs Heroes and Goats: Game 161

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports I started writing Heroes and Goats in 2017. That was, therefore, the first time I got to cover silly season baseball. I’m fairly certain that I didn’t coin that term, but I’m not even sure that the reference I saw was to baseball. I really can’t remember the origin. For me, silly season baseball involves a game played between two teams that are mathematically locked into place for the final standings for that year. This game would qualify. The Cardinals have been locked into the second wild card spot for a while and obviously, the Cubs were eliminated from playoff contention sometime in June weeks ago. Of course, prior to 2019 “silly season” was even sillier than it is now, because it used to be accompanied by larger expanded rosters.

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