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Cubs win 100th game of the season in grand fashion

Welcome to The Walk Off, the nightly MLB recap from Big League Stew. Here we’ll look at the top performers of the night, show you a must-see highlight and rundown the scoreboard. First, we start with a game you need to know about.

The Chicago Cubs once again proved something that’s been obvious the entire season: They are far and away the best team in baseball. With a 12-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cubs became the first club to reach 100 wins this year.

They did so in grand fashion. With the team leading by one run in the fourth inning, the Cubs offense went to work. Jason Heyward singled to open the frame, Addison Russell was hit by a pitch and Albert Almora Jr. singled to load the bases.

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That brought infielder Javier Baez to the plate. With the bases loaded, Baez unloaded on an 0-2 sinker from Chad Kuhl. The shot landed in out in the left field bleachers, giving Baez a grand slam and the Cubs a 5-0 lead.

Javier Baez's grand slam helped propel the Cubs to their 100th win. (Getty Images/Justin K. Aller)
Javier Baez’s grand slam helped propel the Cubs to their 100th win. (Getty Images/Justin K. Aller)

Chicago didn’t stop there, though the game appeared to be well in hand, the team piled on another six runs in the sixth inning. Baez once again played a role in the outburst, singling home two more runs during the inning. The Cubs would add one more run on an error in the seventh.

The only time Chicago looked mortal was during the eighth inning, when Hector Rondon gave up consecutive solo home runs to Matt Joyce and David Freese to open the frame. Rondon would eventually get his act together, striking out two of the next three hitters he faced.

With the win, Chicago will be the only team to reach the century mark this season. The Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers both sit at 92 wins, but neither team has enough games left on their schedule to reach 100. In 2015, the St. Louis Cardinals were the only club to win 100 games during the regular season.

With every possible regular season accomplishment checked off, the Cubs will now turn their attention to October, where the club has some long-awaited unfinished business.

TOP PERFORMERS

Dee Gordon: In the first game the Miami Marlins played since Jose Fernandez’s death, second baseman Dee Gordon delivered one of the greatest baseball moments we’ve ever experienced. Gordon led off the bottom of the first inning by coming to the plate right-handed and mimicking Fernandez’s batting stance. After the first pitch, he moved over to the left-handed batter’s box and sent the first pitch he saw from that side deep to right field for a solo home run. It was Gordon’s first home run of the season. As he reached home plate, Gordon broke into tears as he pointed toward the sky. He was embraced by coaches and teammates as he walked through the dugout. Gordon would turn in an incredible performance in the 7-3 win, finishing the contest 4-for-5, with one run scored and one RBI. His first inning home run will go down as one of the most uplifting moments in sports history.

Kyle Hendricks: While Baez may have been the biggest story during the Cubs’ 12-2 win over the Pirates, Kyle Hendricks once again turned in a fantastic performance on the mound. The right-hander tossed six shutout innings against Pittsburgh. He allowed seven hits, did not issue any walks and struck out five batters. With the performance, Hendricks now has a 1.99 ERA on the year.

Yasmany Tomas: A number of Arizona Diamondbacks stood out during the club’s 14-4 drubbing of the Washington Nationals, but Yasmany Tomas turned in the most impressive performance. In the top of the fourth inning, Tomas delivered a three-run homer, extending the D-Backs’ lead. He struck again in the sixth, doubling home two more runs. Tomas finished the contest 2-for-5, with two runs scored and five RBI.

MUST-SEE HIGHLIGHT

The Seattle Mariners kept their postseason hopes alive with a 4-3 win over the Houston Astros on Monday, and they have second baseman Robinson Cano to thank for that. Cano carried the M’s offensively during the contest, hitting a solo home run in the second inning to extend the Mariners’ lead.

That didn’t prove to be enough. Houston managed to claw its way back into the game, tying things up in the bottom of the ninth. Two innings later, Cano struck again. On the fourth pitch of his at-bat in the top of the 11th, Cano smacked an 81 mph slider from Luke Gregerson out to right field for another solo home run. It proved to be a hit the Astros couldn’t come back from.

THE REST OF THE SCOREBOARD

Yankees 7, Blue Jays 5: New York exploded for a five-run ninth, picking up an improbable win in a game where tensions ran high.

Indians 7, Tigers 4: Corey Kluber left after just four innings with a groin injury, but the Indians still managed to clinch the American League Central with the win.

Brewers 8, Rangers 3: Jonathan Villar smacked two home runs in the win. He finished 3-for-4, with two runs scored and five RBI.

White Sox 7, Rays 1: James Shields turned in a strong performance, giving up just one run over six strong innings.

Reds 15, Cardinals 2: Adam Duvall was one of the many standouts offensively for Cincinnati. He finished the game 4-for-6, with two home runs. Duvall scored four runs and drove in five during the win.

Angels 2, Athletics 1: Mike Trout belted his 29th home run of the season to give Los Angeles an early lead. Trout was later intentionally walked with a chance to win the game, but Albert Pujols got the job done.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik