HISTORY FOR BIG Z- Cubs 5, Astros 0

What a special, special night this was. Unbelievable. I started off halfheartedly checking in on the Steelers-Browns game between commercials, but as the possibility of you know what began to look more and more feasible, I refused to even flip back when the ads came on. For those of us who invest so much time and faith in this team, it is precisely moments like these that make it all worth while. My own sample history of triumph and heartbreak is much smaller than those older fans who were fully involved for seasons like '69 and '84, so under my personal scale, this ranks pretty high near the top in terms of all time Cub moments, probably tied with game 5 of the '03 NLDS for #1. I can say without hesitation that this was the most emotional game I've ever watched. What a tremendous boost on an otherwise incredibly dreary and rain-soaked Sunday. This one will not be forgotten. 

It's been evident since Carlos first broke out and became the ace of the staff around 2004 that on any given night he could potentially go out and no-hit his opponent. Until Sunday, the closest he'd come was this game in 2006, also against the Astros. Well, Z's game on Sunday looked awfully similar, and after he got through Bourn, Tejada, and Berkman in the 7th, I knew things were starting to look serious.

He had it all going. The fastball was registering at 98, 99 in the early going, and though the stadium gun may have been a bit high, he was at least at 94+. The split was great. Throw in some sliders and even a few changeups and he was simply dominating. The best part? First pitch strikes by the barrel load, putting the Astros hitters on the defensive from the get go. For the most part, no one even came close to a hit, the closest being a slicing flyball to right that DeRo ran down in the top of the 8th. The 9th may have been the easiest of all: two quick grounders to short from Quintero and Castillo, followed by a swinging strikeout by Erstad on a slider low and away that was nowhere close. All in all a complete, dominating performance--mentally and physically--from Big Z.

The offense took care of business early getting on the board in the 1st with a solo blast from Fonsie. In the 3rd Lee, Rami, and Soto went double, single, double--all with two outs--to plate four runs and put the game out of reach.

What a night. And on a side note, I realize the Astros have been dealt a bit of rough luck here, but rather than whine about it, couldn't Cecil Cooper use this as a rallying cry of sorts? It seems a perfect opportunity to play the underdog card. Instead, they're making excuses. I'd like to think Sweet Lou would of spun it that way.

Anyways, things are certainly back on track now. This team continues to amaze. Congrats to Z (and how bout Geo, the soon to be NL ROTY, catching his first no hitter. One more bullet point on the resume.) Go Cubs.