The makeshift 2021 Cubs, after a bad run for most of August, won 10 of 13 late that month and early September, then went on another long losing jag, losing 10 of 13 entering a doubleheader date with the Cardinals on Sept. 24.
In 2021, as was the case in 2020, doubleheader games were limited to seven innings (unless tied after seven). The Cubs dropped the first game 8-5 and in the second game, David Ross sent Zach Davies, Scott Effross, Rex Brothers, Trevor Megill and Adam Morgan to the mound and they got pounded for 16 hits and 12 runs in 6.2 innings. Ross had wanted Morgan to finish off the game, with the Cubs trailing 9-4 entering the seventh, but Morgan allowed four hits and three runs, including a pair of homers while recording only two outs.
After Paul Goldschmidt hit an RBI double off Morgan, Ross had seen enough and sent infielder Sergio Alcántara in to pitch to Tyler O’Neill.
As noted in the clip, that pitch was thrown at 91 miles per hour. In fact, all these pitches look pretty decent:
Maybe the Cubs should have tried Alcántara as a pitcher. After he left the Cubs, he spent time with the Diamondbacks and Padres, and played one game for the Giants in 2025. He’s currently a free agent.
