WRIGLEYVILLE — The Cubs lost Game 4 of the National League Division Series Wednesday, disappointing fans that braved the rain with hopes of a clinching celebration in Wrigleyville.
The Washington Nationals beat the Cubs 5-0. The game featured a decisive grand slam in the eighth inning by Michael Taylor that quashed the Cubs' hopes.
The series is tied 2-2, and they'll play in Washington, D.C., at 7:08 p.m. Thursday for the right to go to the National League Championship Series.
The loss means the team won't return to Wrigley Field this year unless the Cubs win the decisive Game 5.
It left plenty of sad fans in its wake, too.
“It sucked," said Maddy Bednar, of Evanston, who watched at the Brickhouse Tavern in Lakeview. "It was bad to watch. The people around us were just miserable. Toward the end, the Cubs just let it slip.”
Hayley Johnson, from the Northwest Side, said it was over when the Cubs went down by one run early.
“There was this guy behind us who said, ‘That’s the game.’ And I thought, ‘Well, that’s dramatic.’ But it ended up being the game.”
Jeffrey Schaubschlagel, of Uptown, still has faith: “I think they’re gonna win the next game. Last year they lost a lot of home games, but they still won the World Series, so I’m not worried about it.”
The game on Wednesday was supposed to take place on Tuesday, but rain pushed it back by one day. The rain Wednesday during the game resulted in far fewer fans in the streets. Some seats at the game also were empty.
Fans can gather at the Park at Wrigley to watch Thursday's away game on a big screen. Tickets are required and cost $10, and food and beverages will be for sale.
The Cubs and Wrigley Field are 95 percent owned by an entity controlled by a trust established for the benefit of the family of Joe Ricketts, owner and CEO of DNAinfo.com. Joe Ricketts has no direct involvement in the management of the iconic team.
