I’m not gonna lie to y’all, baseball in 2024 has been quite the roller coaster for this Cubs fan. There are moments that have thrilled, like Michael Busch’s perfect walk off in the rain. There have been moments that have felt like sucker punches, like the absolutely absurd 10-9 loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 11 when Paul Skenes made his MLB debut. Every time I think this team might have it together and finally crawl back to .500 they fall a little bit short in some way. Last night’s umpire-aided debacle was a particular brand of 2024 Cubs sucker punch:
Umpire Mark Ripperger gifted the Guardians a 2nd life on a pitch that should've ended the inning.