You know, the whole extra-inning thing could have been avoided, maybe, if Matt Mervis hadn’t tried to take that extra base in the fifth inning. Or if Brad Boxberger doesn’t give up that second run in the eighth. Or...
Well, a whole bunch of or’s that I could go through, but the end result would be the same: A frustrating 5-4, 14-inning loss to the Marlins that dropped the Cubs’ record in one-run games to 2-8, and put them back at the .500 mark overall at 17-17.
Before I recap the events of Sunday at the ol’ ballyard, a couple of facts: This was the longest Cubs game (by innings) since the placed runner rule came into effect in 2020.