The 2017 National League Championship Series was a

best-of-seven playoff There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...

pitting the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brookly ...

against the defending World Series champion

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is locate ...

for the National League pennant and the right to play in the

2017 World Series The 2017 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2017 season. The 113th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National League (NL) champion Los Angeles Dodgers and ...

. The series was a rematch of the

2016 NLCS The 2016 National League Championship Series was a best-of-seven playoff in which the Chicago Cubs defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers for the National League (NL) pennant and the right to play in the 2016 World Series against the Cleveland Indians. ...

, which Chicago won four games to two en route to their first

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 World Series, 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The ...

victory since 1908. This was just the 10th time two teams have met in at least two straight League Championship Series, which have existed since divisional play began in 1969. The series was the 48th in league history. The Dodgers beat the Cubs in five games to win the NL pennant for the first time in 29 years, their last one in 1988. This was the first time in history that the NLCS and ALCS teams were from the four most populous U.S. cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston. For the first time,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

sold presenting sponsorships to all of its postseason series; this NLCS was sponsored by

Camping World Camping World Holdings, Inc. is an American corporation specializing in selling recreational vehicles (RVs), recreational vehicle parts, and recreational vehicle service. They also sell supplies for camping. The company has its headquarters in ...

and was officially known as the ''National League Championship Series presented by Camping World''. The Dodgers would go on to lose to the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

in the

in a seven-game series.

Background

This was the Dodgers' second consecutive appearance in the National League Championship Series, and 12th all-time (with this being their third appearance in the past five seasons). In 2016, they lost in six games to the Chicago Cubs, the eventual

winner. By virtue of having the best regular season record in the NL and MLB, the Dodgers held home-field advantage regardless of their opponent. This was the Cubs' third consecutive appearance in the NLCS. In

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

, they were swept in four games by the New York Mets. In 2016, they defeated the Dodgers (4–2) in six games, eventually going on to win their first World Series since

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 4 ...

. This was the third postseason meeting between the Cubs and Dodgers. The clubs have split their two previous postseason meetings. Los Angeles swept Chicago in the 2008 NLDS (3–0) and the Cubs defeated the Dodgers in the 2016 NLCS in six games (4–2). This was just the tenth time two teams have met in at least two straight League Championship Series, which have existed since divisional play began in 1969. The last time two teams met in the NLCS consecutive years was back in

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...

and

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, in which the Phillies defeated the Dodgers in five games on both occasions (4–1). The last time a team avenged an NLCS loss with an NLCS win against the same opponent the following year was the Astros over the Cardinals in

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris (dwarf planet), Er ...

(4–2) after losing to the Cardinals in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

(4–3). The Dodgers offense took a big hit before the series even began when All-Star shortstop

Corey Seager Corey Drew Seager (born April 27, 1994), nicknamed "Seags", is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Seager was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round of the 2012 Ma ...

was left off the NLCS roster as a result of a back injury suffered in game three of the division series.

Summary

Game summaries

Game 1

Being without All-Star

for the series, the Dodgers used journeyman Charlie Culberson at shortstop in Game 1 for just his second start of the season.

Albert Almora Reinaldo Albert Almora Jr. (born April 16, 1994) is an American professional baseball center fielder who is currently a free agent. He previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds. Amateur career Almora at ...

hit a two-run

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run is ...

off of

Clayton Kershaw Clayton Edward Kershaw (born March 19, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB) . He has played for the Dodgers for the entirety of his MLB career. A left-handed starting pi ...

in the fourth inning. Cubs' starter

Jose Quintana Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galilea ...

held the Dodgers offense to just one baserunner through four innings. However, the Dodgers tied the game in the fifth inning with a Yasiel Puig double and Culberson

sacrifice fly In baseball, a sacrifice fly (sometimes abbreviated to sac fly) is defined by Rule 9.08(d): "Score a sacrifice fly when, before two are out, the batter hits a ball in flight handled by an outfielder or an infielder running in the outfield in fair ...

after two consecutive walks. Chris Taylor and Puig hit solo home runs in the sixth and seventh off of

Hector Rondon In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

and

Mike Montgomery Michael John Montgomery (born February 27, 1947) is a retired American basketball coach. He is best known for his 18-year tenure at Stanford (1986–2004), where he led the program to 12 NCAA Tournaments, including a Final Four appearance in 1 ...

, respectively. With two runs batted in, Puig became the first Dodger to have three multi-RBI game in the team's first four postseason games since

Dusty Baker Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker Jr. (born June 15, 1949) is an American baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Houston Astros in Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in the MLB for 19 seasons, most notably with the ...

in 1977. After Puig's home run, Culberson doubled and was tagged out at home trying to score on

Justin Turner Justin Matthew Turner (born November 23, 1984) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dod ...

's single off of

John Lackey John Derran Lackey (born October 23, 1978) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 2002 through 2017 for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and C ...

. Chicago manager

Joe Maddon Joseph John Maddon (born February 8, 1954) is an American former professional baseball manager and coach. He has managed the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball. Maddon began his coaching career in MLB ...

was ejected from the game by Home plate umpire

Lance Barksdale Robert Lance Barksdale (born March 8, 1967) is an American umpire in Major League Baseball (MLB). He began umpiring in the major leagues on a fill-in basis in 2000 and was promoted to a full-time major-league position in 2006. Umpiring career Ba ...

after the Dodgers challenged the call, which was overturned upon video review and gave Los Angeles a 5–2 lead. Culberson was determined to have had his path to home plate blocked by Cubs catcher Willson Contreras before he had possession of the ball.. Kershaw allowed four hits and two runs in five innings of work before the Dodgers bullpen held the Cubs hitless over the next four innings.

Kenta Maeda is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp. He won the 2010 ...

earned the win, getting two groundouts and a lineout on five pitches.

Kenley Jansen Kenley Geronimo Jansen (born September 30, 1987) is a Curaçaoan professional baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves. Signed by the ...

struck out all four batters he faced to earn his third save this postseason.

Game 2

In the second game,

Jon Lester Jonathan Tyler Lester (born January 7, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals. L ...

and Rich Hill each pitched four scoreless innings before allowing solo runs in the fifth, a solo homer by

Addison Russell Addison Wayne Russell (born January 23, 1994) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Russell was drafted 11th overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 2012 Major League Baseb ...

in the top half and a two-out RBI single by Justin Turner after a leadoff double by Charlie Culberson. The bullpens kept the game tied until the bottom of the ninth when Turner hit a walk-off three-run home run off of

after walks to Yasiel Puig off of Brian Duensing and Chris Taylor off of Lackey. It was the Dodgers' first walk-off homer in the post-season since

Kirk Gibson Kirk Harold Gibson (born May 28, 1957) is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He is currently a color commentator for the Detroit Tigers on Bally Sports Detroit and a special assistant for the Tigers. As a player, Gibso ...

's homer in game one of the

1988 World Series The 1988 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1988 season. The 85th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American League (AL) champion Oakland Athletics and the ...

, exactly 29 years prior.

Game 3

The series moved to

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago W ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

for Game Three.

Kyle Schwarber Kyle Joseph Schwarber (born March 5, 1993) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Indiana Hoosiers and was a first-round selection in the 20 ...

homered off

Yu Darvish , more commonly known as Yu Darvish (ダルビッシュ有), is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). Darvish has also played in MLB for the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and ...

in the first inning to give the Cubs an early lead, but it was the only run Darvish allowed in 6 innings, while he struck out seven Cubs batters.

Andre Ethier Andre Everett Ethier (; born April 10, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2006 to 2017 and is second all-time in post-season appearances as a Do ...

, making his first start of the post-season, tied the game up with a solo home run in the second off of

Kyle Hendricks Kyle Christian Hendricks (born December 7, 1989), nicknamed "The Professor", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2014, and led MLB in earned run average for ...

and Chris Taylor homered in the third to put the Dodgers ahead 2–1. The team added on against the Cubs' pitching staff.

Joc Pederson Joc Russell Pederson ( ; born April 21, 1992) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and Atlanta Br ...

doubled to lead off the fifth and scored on Chris Taylor's triple. Next inning, the Dodgers put two on with no outs off of Hendricks, who was relieved by

Carl Edwards Carl Michael Edwards II (born August 15, 1979) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. Prior to that, he drove the No. ...

. Edwards walked two to force in another run. In the eighth,

allowed a leadoff walk and single, then threw two wild pitches that allowed another run to score before

Kyle Farmer James Kyle Farmer (born August 17, 1990) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds. Career Amateur spor ...

's sacrifice fly made it 6–1 Dodgers. Their bullpen continued to shut down the Cubs and this was the sixth straight post-season game they won, a franchise record.

Game 4

In game four,

Jake Arrieta Jacob Joseph Arrieta (born March 6, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and San Diego Padres. Arrieta played college ...

struck out nine batters over 6 innings in game five for the Cubs while Dodgers starter Alex Wood struck out seven in 4 innings. All the runs in the game were on solo homers.

Cody Bellinger Cody James Bellinger (born July 13, 1995) is an American professional baseball center fielder and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was selected by ...

and Justin Turner for the Dodgers in the third and eighth off of Arrieta and Wade Davis, respectively. Willson Contreras hit one in the second and

Javier Báez Ednel Javier Báez (born December 1, 1992), nicknamed "El Mago" (Spanish for "The Magician"), is a Puerto Rican professional baseball shortstop for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cu ...

hit two home runs in the second and fifth for the Cubs, who staved off elimination with a 3–2 win, despite manager

being ejected for the second time this series. Davis pitched the last two innings for the save. This would be the last Cubs’ postseason victory of the

Theo Epstein Theo Nathaniel Epstein (born December 29, 1973) is an American Major League Baseball executive, who currently works for MLB as a consultant. He was the vice president and general manager for the Boston Red Sox and then the president of baseball o ...

-era (2012-2020).

Game 5

The Dodgers jumped on top in Game 5 off of

when Chris Taylor drew a leadoff walk in the first and scored on

's one-out double. A home run in the second by Enrique Hernández made it 2–0 Dodgers. Next inning, Taylor hit a leadoff double and scored on

's single. Quintana allowed two more singles to load the bases with no outs.

in relief struck out

Logan Forsythe John Logan Forsythe (born January 14, 1987) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers and Miami ...

, but Hernandez blew the game open with a grand slam, becoming only the fourth Dodger to hit a postseason grand slam (joining

Ron Cey Ronald Charles Cey (; born February 15, 1948), nicknamed "Penguin", is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman from through , most notably as an integral member of the Los Angeles Do ...

and

from the 1977 NLCS and

James Loney James Anthony Loney (born May 7, 1984) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, and New York Mets, and in Korea Baseball Org ...

in the 2008 NLDS). Next inning, Forsythe's two-run double off of

made it 9–0 Dodgers.

Kris Bryant Kristopher Lee Bryant (born January 4, 1992), nicknamed "KB", is an American professional baseball third baseman and outfielder for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs and San ...

scored the Cubs' only run via a solo home run in the fourth. Every run scored by the Cubs in this series was via home runs. Hernandez's two-run home run in the ninth off of

extended the Dodgers' lead to 11–1. His seven RBIs in the game set a NLCS record.

retired Bryant,

Anthony Rizzo Anthony Vincent Rizzo (born August 8, 1989) is an American professional baseball first baseman for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs. He is a three-time ...

and Contreras in the bottom of the 9th inning as the Dodgers won the pennant and went to their first World Series since 1988. Chris Taylor and

were voted co-MVPs of the series. As for Chicago, their World Series reign was over. This was the third straight year the National League pennant winning team clinched at

Composite line score

2017 NLCS (4–1):

beat

The Dodgers +20 run differential for the entire series is tied for the fourth largest in a postseason series.

References

External links

2017 Major League Baseball postseason schedule

2017 National League Championship Series at Baseball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:2017 National League Championship Series National League Championship Series

National League Championship Series The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) postseason. It is contested by the winners of the two Nation ...

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