Cubs earn second straight playoff berth with win over Marlins

CHICAGO -- Pete Crow-Armstrong joined the 40-40 club by stealing his 40th base to go along with his major-league-leading 45 home runs, and the Chicago Cubs clinched their second straight postseason berth a 2-1 victory over the Miami Marlins on Thursday.

Seiya Suzuki homered for the Cubs (88-71), who assured themselves of one of the NL's three wild-card berths.

Chicago also was a wild card last year when the Cubs beat San Diego in the first round and lost to Milwaukee in a division series. The Cubs will be making consecutive postseason appearances for the first time since four straight from 2015 to 2018, which in 2016 included their first championship since 1908.

The Cubs clinched their berth shortly after the White Sox earned their postseason trip with a 9-1 win at Kansas City.

It was the first time the White Sox and Cubs clinched playoff berths on the same day, according to ESPN Research. It's only the fourth year both Chicago teams reached the postseason. The others were the COVID-shortened 2020 season, 2008 and 1906.

Miami (78-81) was assured its third straight non-winning season.

A favorite to win the NL MVP award, Crow-Armstrong became the seventh 40-40 player, joining a group that includes Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. Jose Canseco was the first with the 1988 Oakland Athletics.

Crow-Armstrong, 24, hit his 45th homer during Sunday's 9-1 win at Cincinnati, extending his career high. He drew a leadoff walk from Tyler Phillips in the first inning and swiped second base on the next pitch to Suzuki for his 40th steal in 47 attempts. Fans chanted "MVP" as the Wrigley Field videoboard proclaimed the feat.

Ohtani was the previous player with a 40-40 season, hitting 54 homers and stealing 59 bases for the 2024 Dodgers. Acuña hit 41 homers and swiped 73 bases for Atlanta in 2023. Alfonso Soriano (2006 with Washington), Alex Rodriguez (1998 with Seattle) and Barry Bonds (1996 with San Francisco) are the other 40-40 players.

Matthew Boyd (10-5) allowed one run, five hits and two walks over seven innings, and Ryan Zeferjahn pitched a perfect ninth for his seventh save to finish a five-hitter.

Ian Happ tripled off Jack Ralston (0-2) to start the sixth and came home three pitches later on Nico Hoerner's single, breaking a 1-1 tie.

Miami's Jakob Marsee had an RBI single in the third and Suzuki hit his 26th homer in the fifth, a drive off Ralston.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.