NLDS 2016: Cubs win instant classic over Giants 1-0 in Game 1

The Cubs and Giants kicked off their NLDS contest with a classic battle of pitching that ultimately saw the Cubs pull out a narrow 1-0 victory to take the series lead.

It was to be expected that matchup of 19-game winner Jon Lester and 18-game winner Johnny Cueto would be a battle of the pitching wits. However both exceeded expectations in Game 1 of the National League Division Series between the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants.

The Cubs took the first game of the series by the slimmest of margins, winning 1-0. It was the sixth time this year that the two teams finished with score separated by a single run. However, it was without a doubt one of the finest pitching duels of the year.

Lester and Cueto wasted no time in setting in on delivering on the expectations. Lester allowed three runners to reach base to start innings early on, but none made it even as far as second base. Cueto matched him frame-for-frame and actually jumped out to the better start between the two, not allowing his first hit until a fourth inning double by Kris Bryant.

The Giants defense was predictably strong behind Cueto in the early going, with centerfielder Gorkys Hernandez making a sliding highlight reel grab in the left center field warning track. Second baseman Kelby Tomlinson also made a run-saving stop in the fourth inning to strand Bryant on-base.

Both dealt with a sometimes wide, sometimes narrow strike zone from home plate umpire Todd Tichenor. This was something that seemingly got to both Lester and catcher David Ross a few times in the early going, but they sorted it out sort of it becoming an issue. But he settled in, setting down the final 13 batters he faced before exiting after the eighth inning.

Not to be outdone, Cueto went on a run of his own, sitting down eight straight Cubs into the bottom of the eighth himself….before he finally made the first mistake pitch of the game.

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Cueto lost a fastball out over the plate, which second baseman Javier Baez used to take a hero turn with. Baez launched a home run against the wind and into the left field net, sending the Wrigley Field crowd into a frenzy and putting the Cubs on the board with both the first and decisive run.

Cueto closed out the inning, but the damage was sufficient to deliver enough lead to closer Aroldis Chapman to seal the victory (albeit amid some slight scares) and pull the Cubs ahead in the series.

The final lines for the pair of starters were classically good:

Lester: 8 innings, 5 hits, 5 strikeouts, zero walks and a win.

Cueto: 8 innings, 3 hits, 10 strikeouts, zero walks and a hard case loss.

The teams will meet again tomorrow night when Kyle Hendricks (16-8) takes the mound for the Cubs and will be opposed by Jeff Samardzija (12-11) for the Giants. The game will be carried on the MLB Network at 7:00 p.m. ET.