Al Yellon created Bleed Cubbie Blue and has been its managing editor since 2005. He's also written three books about the Cubs, the latest is "Chicago Cubs Firsts."
There have been other years when I’ve posted a number of blowout losses in this annual recap. In some ways, those are easier to take, a team runs up a huge score against the Cubs but it still counts for only one loss. Other times I’ve filled these with soul-crushing defeats.
This time, I’m going to focus on bullpen meltdowns. It is a fact that had the Cubs won these five games, they would have been in the 2024 postseason, because one of the games that follows was against the Mets.