The Margin Ep. 11 | The Cubs Have Been Here Before

October feels different.

The baseball isn't.

The Cubs are officially playing postseason baseball, and every pitch suddenly feels heavier. A leadoff walk feels like a crisis. A runner on second feels like he's already headed home. One bad inning can change a game — and in October, one game can change a season.

So yeah...we're anxious.

But should the Cubs be?

For ten episodes of The Margin, we've spent the season breaking down exactly how this Cubs team wins — and how it loses.

The replacement-level arms disguised as depth.

The crooked innings.

The home runs.

The ability to stay attached through five.

The defense that has erased mistakes all season.

The bullpen asking Craig Counsell to somehow manufacture 27 outs.

October raises the stakes on all of it.

But none of it is new.

That's the Margin this week.

The Cubs don't need to become a different baseball team because the calendar says October. They need to recognize situations they've already lived through and play the next piece of baseball correctly.

Keep the inning small.

Get to five.

Catch the baseball.

Don't let one mistake invite friends.

And when the game gives you an opportunity to take it — don't miss it.

Because whether Game 1 ended with the Cubs celebrating or staring at elimination, the Game 2 assignment doesn't change.

Same game. Bigger moment.

We'll handle the anxiety.

They handle the baseball.

This is The Margin — Chasing Wins, Not Stats.

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