At the MLB All-Star break, the Cubs were 48-53 with slim to none chances of making it to the playoffs. Now they are 75-71, just 4 games out of the wild card, and have a good shot at the playoffs. Their next three series are against the Rockies, Nationals, and A’s, all of which are winnable, and they could potentially sweep to secure a wild card spot. This is one of the craziest late-season turnarounds I have ever seen, and I hope they can get this done. Shota Imanaga has been one of the leaders during this stretch. He has gone 13-3 this season in 27 starts, making him one of the best in baseball.

Since July 1, the Cubs are 10 games over .500 and are 2nd in the division. Before the All-Star Game, they were last in the division and 5 games below .500. The Cubs haven’t made the playoffs since the shortened season in 2020, where they lost in the NL Wild Card. In that series, they lost to the Marlins in 2 games. If they could make the playoffs this year, they would break the 7th longest playoff drought currently in the MLB. The Cubs had a lot of success from 2013 to 2019, with multiple playoff appearances and their first World Series in 108 years in 2016. This was the longest World Series drought ever, and the city of Chicago was so jubilant when they won. The championship parade was predicted to be one of the world’s 5 largest gatherings of people ever. Hopefully, they can make the playoffs this year to start a new dynasty. As of the writing of this, they are 5 games back of the final wild-card spot, so they still have a chance, but it isn’t looking very good. There is only one team between them and the wild card spot, so it is totally doable.

This year’s Cubs have had three stellar rookies: Shoto Imanaga, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Michael Busch. Shota has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season, Michael Busch is one of the team leaders in home runs, and PCA is one of the team leaders in RBIs. With three rookies of that caliber, they could be poised for a series of playoff appearances in the years to come. I hope this could happen, but it is not very likely. In a season of scandals and records, this comeback has gone under the radar as one of the coolest stories this year. Craig Counsell, the Cubs’ first-year manager, has developed a positive culture around the clubhouse this season. With the rest of the city of Chicago not doing very well (looking at you, White Sox), the Cubs bring some much-needed hype to the city.