#Cubs fans, #YouAreGood. pic.twitter.com/PhkBUm4Jys
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) October 22, 2015
The Cubs' season is officially over.
The Mets finished off their National League Championship Series sweep with an 8-3 blowout of the North Siders at Wrigley Field on Wednesday night. The loss was a pretty ugly way to end an otherwise beautiful 2015 campaign. Chicago's NLCS effort was riddled with costly errors and showed that this year's team isn't championship material—but they're not far off.
All-star and blue-eyed dreamboat Kris Bryant is 23, power hitter Kyle Schwarber is 22 and Addison Russell, who was injured for the entire series against the Mets, is 21. They were the core group of the Cubs' 97-win season and unexpected run in the playoffs. But despite their efforts, the phrase "there's always next year" is echoing through the North Side for the 107th consecutive season.
Unlike most of the previous years, next year looks pretty good. The Cubs' young stars have had a chance to shake their rookie willies, the pitching staff is anchored by one of the best arms in the game, and there's an entire off-season for President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein to sew up the club's weak spots.
The Cubs' future is incredibly bright, which explains why a sizable chunk of the crowd at Wrigley Field was still chanting "Let's go Cubbies" more than 20 minutes after the Mets sealed the deal on Wednesday night.
There's a lot to look forward to.
#WeAreLoyal https://t.co/nAzMdzeyza
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) October 22, 2015