Matt Freed/AP Photos
PITTSBURGH – Four and a half years after the Cubs dismantled their last championship core, they finally made it to the playoffs.
The Cubs clinched a postseason berth with a 8-4 win against the Pirates on Wednesday, sweeping the three-game set to officially end a four-year playoff drought.
The road to get there had its false hope and dashed expectations, close calls and shocking twists.
Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer promised at the 2021 trade deadline that the staggering overhaul that sent out nine major-league players for a band of mostly prospects, and dismantled the championship core, would accelerate the Cubs’ path back into contention.