If there was one Vine that could perfectly sum up the performance of Jake Arrieta in tonight's Wild Card Game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, it would be this one.
Coming into Wednesday's contest, Arrieta posted a 12-1 record with a 0.75 ERA since the All-Star break. The Pirates were in for a uphill battle tonight and the 29-year-old gave them fits, as you can tell, all night long.
In the top of the 1st inning, the Cubs came out swinging. Outfielder Kyle Schwarber brought Dexter Fowler home after the leadoff man knocked a single into centerfield and stole second to get into scoring position. Two innings later, Schwarber struck again with an absolutely mammoth shot to give the Cubs a 3-0 lead.
That was more than enough for Arrieta, who frustrated the Pirates to the point that left-handed reliever Tony Watson plunked him with a pitch when he batted up in the 7th inning.
Both benches cleared, but only Pittsburgh's Sean Rodriguez was ejected after he appeared to throw a punch at the Cubs' David Ross. Hence the above clip where Rodriguez treated the Gatorade cooler like a heavy bag.
Arrieta continued mowing down the Pirates, finishing with 11 strikeouts and a complete game shutout. The Cubs will now go to St. Louis to take on the Cardinals. Game 1 is on Friday.
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