Less than 96 hours after having the best record in the National League, the Chicago Cubs have been eliminated from the postseason. Tuesday night the Colorado Rockies beat the Cubs in 13 innings in the winner-take-all NL Wild Card Game at Wrigley Field (COL 2, CHC 1). Both clubs lost a Game 163 tiebreaker Monday to end up in the Wild Card Game. This was only the third Wild Card Game to go to extra innings and the longest postseason game in Wrigley Field history. With the win, the Rockies are moving on to the National League Division Series to take on the Milwaukee Brewers. Colorado had been 1-8 in their last nine postseason games dating back to the 2007 NLCS. The Cubs? They're done. Season's over. Here is everything you need to know about the NL Wild Card Game. This was the longest win-or-go-home game in history Prior to Tuesday night no winner-take-all game in MLB history had ever gone 13 innings. Here are the longest winner-takes-all games in baseball history: 2018 Wild Card Game: Rockies over Cubs in 13 innings Rockies over Cubs in 13 innings 2014 AL Wild Card Game: Royals over Athletics in 12 innings Royals over Athletics in 12 innings 1924 World Series Game 7: Senators over Giants in 12 innings This was only the third Wild Card Game to go to extra innings, joining that 2014 AL game and the 2016 AL game between the Blue Jays and Orioles. That's the infamous "Zach Britton is still sitting in the bullpen" game. The road team won another Wild Card Game Tuesday's game was the 13th Wild Card Game in baseball history and the road team is now 8-5 in those 13 games. Home field advantage hasn't been much of an advantage in the Wild Card Game thus far. Here are the home team wins: 2017: Yankees over Twins Yankees over Twins 2017: Diamondbacks over Rockies Diamondbacks over Rockies 2016: Blue Jays over Orioles Blue Jays over Orioles 2014: Royals over Athletics Royals over Athletics 2013: Pirates over Reds This is almost certainly a statistical anomaly, not a meaningful trend. We're talking about 13 Wild Card Games spread across seven years. Give it enough time and things will even out, if not swing in favor of the home team since the home team has won approximately 54 percent of games, historically. On Tuesday though, the Rockies went into raucous Wrigley Field to beat the Cubs and extend their season. Winning a do-or-die game on the road is never easy. So far though, the road team has had success in the Wild Card Game. The team that scored first won again Though 13 Wild Card Games, the team that scores first is now 10-3. The Rockies did it in a roundabout way Tuesday night, but they did win after scoring first. Here are the three teams that won despite not scoring first in the Wild Card Game: 2018: Yankees over Twins Yankees over Twins 2014: Royals over Athletics Royals over Athletics 2012: Cardinals over Braves Scoring first is such a big advantage, especially when the road team scores in the top of the first. The home team is playing from behind right away and that is never a good field. Freeland was masterful While pitching on three days' rest for the first time since college, Rockies southpaw Kyle Freeland was brilliant Tuesday, holding the Cubs scoreless across 6 2/3 innings. He started to tire a bit later in the outing but still managed to take the ball into the seventh inning. Kyle Freeland COL • SP • 21 2018 NL Wild Card Game vs. Cubs IP 6 2/3 H 4 R 0 ER 0 BB 1 K 6 View Profile Freeland allowed 17 balls in play and his average exit velocity allowed was a mere 84.2 mph. Only three of those 17 balls in play had a hit probability north of 50 percent, according to Statcast. Freeland faced 24 batters and only five of the 24 saw more than four pitches in their at-bats. Three of the four batted in the first inning. Freeland was marvelous. He generated weak contact and was ruthlessly efficient all night. This performance didn't come out of nowhere, of course. Freeland had an outstanding regular season, throwing 202 1/3 innings with a 2.85 ERA (164 ERA+). Among pitchers with enough innings to qualify for the ERA title, that is the second lowest ERA in Rockies history behind Marvin Freeman (2.80 ERA in 1995). Freeman threw only 112 2/3 innings that year and still qualified because it was a strike-shortened season. Point is, Freeland was outstanding Tuesday. What a performance. Ottavino pulled a big-time escape job in the seventh ... Freeland's start almost went for naught in the seventh inning. He exited the game with a runner on first and two outs in the seventh inning. In came setup man Adam Ottavino, who uncorked a wild pitch and walked Willson Contreras. Pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella then reached base on a catcher's interference. With the bases loaded, two outs, and his team down 1-0 in the seventh inning, Cubs manager Joe Maddon opted to pinch-hit Jason Heyward against Ottavino, not Kyle Schwarber. Heyward struck out to end the inning. Ottavino struck out 112 batters in 77 2/3 innings this season and that two-seamer, which is his second best pitch, shows you why. He's got filthy stuff. Freeland's scoreless outing was preserved. Freeland, Noah Syndergaard, Jake Arrieta, and Madison Bumgarner (twice) are the only pitchers with a scoreless start in Wild Card Game history. ... but he couldn't escape the eighth With the Rockies still nursing their 1-0 lead in the eighth, Ottavino allowed a two-strike single to Anthony Rizzo and a game-tying two-run double to Javier Baez. Pinch-runner Terrance Gore stole second before Baez's double. Just like that, a brand new ballgame. Ottavino had Baez down 0-2 in the count and a slider was absolutely the right pitch call there. It just caught too much of the plate. I had a feeling this game wouldn't end 1-0. That, by the way, was the first 0-2 base hit Ottavino allowed all season. Lester's leadoff batter issues continued The Rockies struck first in the top of the first inning. Charlie Blackmon worked a leadoff walk, DJ LeMahieu moved him to third with an ivy-rule double, and Nolan Arenado brought him home with a sacrifice fly for a quick 1-0. Jon Lester has had trouble retiring the leadoff hitter since the All-Star break. To his credit, Lester retired the leadoff batter in every inning after the first. He was excellent from innings 2-6, retiring 15 of the 18 batters he faced. Jon Lester WAS • SP • 34 2018 NL Wild Card Game vs. Rockies IP 6 H 4 R 1 ER 1 BB 1 K 9 View Profile The nine strikeouts tie Lester's season high and his postseason career high. His 133 postseason strikeouts are eighth-most in history. Lester was outstanding Tuesday and it sure seems like he had enough left in the tank for the seventh inning. Maddon had to lift him for a pinch-hitter with his team down a run, however. Such is life in the National League. Strop was thrown right back into the fire Welcome back, Pedro Strop. Go throw the ninth of a do-or-die postseason game. Strop missed the final 17 regular season games with a hamstring injury, but he got healthy in time for the Wild Card Game, and he mowed through the middle of the Rockies' lineup in the Wild Card Game. His fist pump game remains strong. The Cubs bullpen was a bit of a wreck going into the Wild Card Game. It was only one inning, sure, but Strop provided a real nice pick-me-up Tuesday. Wolters came through with the big hit Tony Wolters, the third string catcher on Colorado's roster and the 42nd player used in the Wild Card Game, provided the go-ahead base hit in the 13th inning. Trevor Story, Gerardo Parra, and Wolters strung together back-to-back-to-back two-out hits against Kyle Hendricks. Hendricks threw Wolters three changeups in the at-bats.<doc-sep>Javier Baez #9 of the Chicago Cubs hugs Nolan Arenado #28 of the Colorado Rockies in the eleventh inning during the National League Wild Card Game at Wrigley Field on October 2, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) Just when you thought the Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs’ NL wild-card game on Tuesday night couldn’t get any weirder, we encountered one question that baseball never had to ponder before: Is hugging on the basepaths interference? Seriously. The Rockies and Cubs were in the 11th inning of a 1-1 game that would send one team home and one to the NLDS. The Cubs had runners at first and second base with one out. The stakes, you could say, were plenty high. Cubs catcher Willson Contreras was at the plate and grounded sharply to third base where Nolan Arenado scooped it up. Arenado ranged to his left, opting to chase down Javier Baez and tag him. Baez, who is both quick and slick on the baseball field, tried to evade the out, but instead ended up in a little cat-and-mouse moment with Arenado. Baez surrendered, sticking out his arms and Arenado tagged him. Then they settled into a convenient bro hug. Most people probably laughed at first — it was genuinely funny and one of those reasons they say you can’t predict baseball. There didn’t seem like any malicious intent. But baseball is also nothing if not a sport of whataboutism, so naturally Rockies manager Bud Black came out wondering if everything there was on the up-and-up there. Nolan Arenado tries tag Javier Baez before they hug during the NL wild-card game. (Getty Images) Think about it: the hug effectively stopped play. This isn’t football, where play stops when a runner is down. The other Cubs runners were still active. And that’s when the questions started popping up: • What if Arenado would have been able to get another out to end the inning, like say, Contreras at first base? • What if Contreras had fallen down on his way to first base and the Rockies couldn’t throw him out? • What if Daniel Murphy, who was now on second base, raced toward third and Arenado couldn’t do anything because he was tangled in Baez’s warm embrace? And the biggest one: Was it interference? Was it obstruction? Teams usually face a consequence when a base runner gets in the way like that. And, in that moment, the Rockies sure wouldn’t have minded a third out on a technicality. Story continues Nothing came from Black’s huddle with the umpires. Baez was out, obviously. But the Cubs runners continued at first and second base. There didn’t end up being a huge impact on the game, as the next batter, Victor Caratini, grounded out to end the inning. But if we learned anything, it would appear to be this: Hugging on the basepaths isn’t as innocent as it would appear. – – – – – – Mike Oz is a writer at Yahoo Sports. Contact him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! More from Yahoo Sports: • Walker Buehler knew he was winning Game 163 and his arm left no doubt • With Josh Hader heading a killer bullpen, the Brewers staked their claim as NL’s best team • Ranking all 25 possible 2018 World Series matchups • MLB postseason field is set: Here’s the schedule and how to watch<doc-sep>CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs, bitterly disappointed and frustrated with the abrupt end to their season, will retain manager Joe Maddon, but won’t give him a contract extension as he desired, a high-ranking official with direct knowledge of the decision told USA TODAY Sports. The person was not authorized to speak publicly because the Cubs had not announced the news. "Joe's status remains unchanged," Cubs president Theo Epstein confirmed in a news conference Wednesday. "I'm very happy about that." Maddon, who still is owed $6 million in 2019, was hoping for an extension. However, he was told he will be evaluated after next season with his five-year, $28 million contract expiring. The Cubs will be feeling even more pressure next year with the heat on Maddon to presumably perform at an even higher level. Since Joe Maddon arrived in 2015, he took the Cubs to playoffs last four years, won two NL Central Division titles and the World Series in 2016 - the club's first since 1908. MORE MLB But they stumbled down the stretch this season after leading their division for months. The rival Milwaukee Brewers forced a Game 163 at Wrigley Field on Monday -- and beat the Cubs for the fifth time in their last seven meetings -- to snatch the division title at the last moment. That left the Cubs in the position of having to win a wild-card game the next night against the Colorado Rockies - who came to town on a hot streak. They lost 2-1 in 13 innings. “I know I heard a month ago that everyone in Chicago wanted Joe’s head,’’ Cubs ace Jon Lester said after Tuesday night's loss. “I think Joe is very good at what he does. He manages our clubhouse, he manages our personalities well. He is not the reason why we’re going home. Nor is any other coach in that room. “Hell, it ain’t the coaches’ fault. I don’t think you ever blame coaches for a lost season, or give them credit for a winning season. It’s all about the players. Good, bad or indifferent, we’ve got to take responsibility for that.’’ Certainly, you can argue that this might have been Maddon’s finest season considering their struggling players, free-agent busts in starters Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood, and injuries to the likes of former MVP Kris Bryant and closers Brandon Morrow and Pedro Strop. Yet, the Cubs offense went AWOL at the most crucial of times, scoring just two runs in their final 22 innings, and appeared to be pressing instead of relaxed. “I just don’t see where he’s going to get heat from,” Cubs clubhouse leader Anthony Rizzo said. “I think he’s managed his [expletive] off this year. That’s all credit to him. Without his leadership here, guys aren’t playing the way they play.’’ Follow Nightengale on Twitter @BNightengale<doc-sep>
CHICAGO -- When it was over, the Cubs were more disappointed than stunned that their season came to a close after scoring only a single run in a 2-1 loss in 13 innings to the Colorado Rockies in the National League wild-card game Tuesday. Perhaps they weren't shocked, because just the day before, they had lost the NL Central tiebreaker 3-1 to the Milwaukee Brewers. Twenty-two innings of the most important baseball of the season, and the Cubs managed only two runs. It's really the storyline of their season's second half, as they went from the best record in the NL to out of the postseason in the span of less than 48 hours. "Let's get one thing straight: We're best record in the league, minus one," Cubs pitcher Jon Lester said after Tuesday's season-ending defeat. "We had to play 163 in order to lose that title. I like my chances every year if you come down to the last game of the year and you're fighting for best record in the league." The Cubs put up some fight but not many runs in the second half of the season. So when they came up short on Monday and Tuesday, it wasn't something new for them. Like the rabid crowd at Wrigley Field on both days, Chicago manager Joe Maddon was waiting for something to happen on offense. Inning after inning went by against the Rockies' pitching and nothing materialized, other than a game-extending RBI double by Javier Baez in the eighth inning. Then, silence. Maddon has seen this act before. "Yeah, we played that game a lot," he said. "Believe me, it was on my mind for a large part of it. We had some opportunities. We just could not cash in." It was the 40th time in 2018 that the Cubs had scored one or zero runs -- tops in the league. The Cubs' front office will have the offseason to figure out what went wrong on that side of the ball, because Tuesday's game was simply a microcosm of much of the season. The club managed one extra-base hit in 13 innings. Chicago's slugging capabilities have dried up for a position-player base that won the World Series two seasons ago and includes the same players. Cubs players react as they watch during the 11th inning against the Rockies. The 2-1 loss was the 40th time this season Chicago had scored one or zero runs. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh "As an offense, we need to mature and develop a little bit more," first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. "At times, we did this year, as a unit, and at times ... not so much." As expected after the game, players vowed to return in a better mindset following a rough end to the season, which saw them at a ballpark on 42 of their last 43 days. The mental fatigue wore on their faces. And they recognized, as one of the top teams in the NL over the past few years, everyone wanted a piece of them. "Sometimes you have to take the bad with the good," Lester said. "Right now, we're taking the bad. ... Maybe we needed that." MVP candidate Baez offered his take. "We struggled the whole year, the whole year," Baez said. "We just kept [saying] we're going to get it back ... but it never came to us. We were never in a rhythm of winning games. I think it was because we were paying attention to other teams." Though in first place the entire second half, there was a constant feeling of things slipping away for the Cubs. Most of the time, they responded when they needed to. But in the end, two teams took what the Cubs were barely holding on to: National League supremacy. Now, they are the first team eliminated from the postseason. "I don't feel like we lost this," Lester said. "They beat us. We played our hearts out. ... Maybe in the long run, this will be good for us. You can only learn from losing." The Cubs will have the longest offseason in four years to do some soul-searching, as they had advanced to the NL Championship Series over the previous three postseasons. Maybe rest is simply what they need most. It's also entirely possible that major personnel changes are coming. For the players, they will lament losing a wild-card game at home, something this organization would have been thrilled with a few years ago.