CHICAGO — With an early game Saturday, manager Joe Maddon figured the only way he would find out if the Chicago Cubs clinched a playoff spot was if he got up to go to the bathroom.
Well, they are in. And if Maddon slept through the night, he woke up to a nice surprise.
Chicago could have wrapped it up Friday afternoon with a win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, except Gerrit Cole outpitched Jon Lester and a late rally fell short in a 3-2 loss.
San Francisco then lost to Oakland 5-4, and that means Chicago is headed to the postseason for the first time since 2008.