Revisiting Glory: That One Time Javy Baez Stole Home in Game 1 of the 2016 NLCS (Fan Video)

It’s hard to forget that feeling heading into Game 1 of the 2016 NLCS. The Cubs had arrived to the dance prematurely a year earlier and were greeted rudely by a stunning sweep at the hands of the New York Mets. That memory lingered long and it made that first game against the Dodgers that much more important. I remember thinking, “Just win this first game.”

The Cubs had grabbed an early one-run lead when Kris Bryant drove in Dexter Fowler, who had led off the first inning with a single. In the second inning, with Jason Heyward on third after a leadoff triple, Javier Baez blooped a ball to no-man’s land in center field and hustled in for a double as the ball landed perfectly between three Dodgers.

After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Baez was surely feeling a little buzzed on a potent cocktail of confidence and adrenaline. I think there was even a float of swag in there too. As such, he made a really aggressive move down the line and was momentarily caught up between third base and home plate.

That’s when this happened:

The Cubs went on to win the game by a score of 8-4 after Miguel Montero crushed a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning. It was a good night to be at Wrigley Field.