St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs: Broadcast, Live Stream, Start Time, & More
The first-ever postseason series between the archrival St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs will begin on Friday afternoon at Busch Stadium and has the potential to be one of the most exciting playoff matchups since Major League Baseball began the Wild Card era of the postseason in 1995. The Cubs earned the right to play the NL Central champion Cardinals on Wednesday night by defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park in the one-game Wild Card series.
Besides the obvious intrigue of the rivalry taking place in the postseason, Friday’s game will also be notable because two former Boston Red Sox teammates and good friends, Jon Lester and John Lackey–who were close to the point where they were publicly outed for frequently drinking beer, eating fried chicken, and playing video games with teammate Josh Beckett in the clubhouse during games–will be facing each other as the starting pitchers for Game 1.
More from Arch Authority
- St. Louis Cardinals: Randal Grichuk to begin Double-A rehab stint
- John Brebbia deserves a shot as the St. Louis Cardinals’ closer
- St. Louis Cardinals place Randal Grichuk on DL, recall José Martínez
- St. Louis Cardinals release RHP Corey Baker from organization
- St. Louis Cardinals activate Kolten Wong and Kevin Siegrist from DL, option Luke Weaver and Alex Mejia to Triple-A
Lackey and Lester have had slightly different arcs to their respective seasons. Lester came into Chicago this offseason and was expected to be the unquestioned ace of the Cubs’ remodeled staff. However, a 4-8 record, 3.59 ERA, and 1.26 WHIP, along with a very publicized issue with picking off runners at first base, led to him having a slightly underwhelming first half. He was much better after the All-Star break, going 7-4 with a 3.04 ERA and 0.96 WHIP, but he couldn’t ascend back to the ace role, as Jake Arrieta surprisingly emerged as the frontrunner for the NL Cy Young Award, going 22-6 with a 1.77 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and .185 opponent batting average to finish the season. Arrieta started in the Cubs’ victory over Pittsburgh, so Lester will get the nod on Friday.
Lackey was by no means the ace of the Cardinals’ staff to begin the season, but thanks to injuries that knocked Adam Wainwright and Carlos Martinez out of the rotation and some late-season struggles by Michael Wacha and, to a lesser extent, Jaime Garcia, Lackey gets the nod as the Cardinals get their postseason run started. After yielding a 1.78 ERA through five starts in September, it’s clear that he has the most momentum as October gets underway.
More from St. Louis Cardinals
- St. Louis Cardinals: Randal Grichuk to begin Double-A rehab stint
- John Brebbia deserves a shot as the St. Louis Cardinals’ closer
- St. Louis Cardinals place Randal Grichuk on DL, recall José Martínez
- St. Louis Cardinals release RHP Corey Baker from organization
- St. Louis Cardinals activate Kolten Wong and Kevin Siegrist from DL, option Luke Weaver and Alex Mejia to Triple-A
Here’s some key info as you follow along with Friday’s NLDS kickoff:
Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO
When: 5:30 PM, Friday, October 9, 2015
Starting Pitchers: Jon Lester (CHI) vs. John Lackey (STL)
TV Broadcast: The entire NLDS between the Cardinals and Cubs will be broadcast on TBS. The team of play-by-play announcer Brian Anderson, color commentators Dennis Eckersley and Joe Simpson, and sideline reporter Matt Winer will call the action.
Radio Broadcast: The game will be broadcast on ESPN Radio. Dan Shulman of Sunday Night Baseball fame will call play-by-play with Aaron Boone as the color commentator.
Live Stream: MLB.tv
Stay tuned at archauthority.com and at @ArchAuthorityFS on Twitter for all the latest updates.
Next: Mizzou vs. Florida: Start Time, Broadcast Info, & More