If you look at the roster of the 1989 Cubs, you realize that they had no business making the playoffs that year. Even manager Don Zimmer and general manager Jim Frey thought they would win about 70 games.

Two thirds of the starting outfield were rookies--Jerome Walton and Dwight Smith. Rookie catchers Damon Berryhill, Joe Girardi, and Rick Wrona split time behind the plate. The third basemen were Vance Law and Luis Salazar. But somehow, with this group of players and the veteran presence of Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, and Mark Grace (who was actually quite young too), the Cubs caught lightning in a bottle.

This motley group became known as the Boys of Zimmer. Don Zimmer's unorthodox managing style confounded his opponents all year, and with smoke and mirrors the Cubs won the division. Mark Grace led the team with a whopping 79 RBI. The rookies played way above their heads. Jerome Walton was the rookie of the year and had a 30-game hitting streak. Dwight Smith hit .323 in left field sharing time with converted catcher Lloyd McClendon. Shawon Dunston became a sensation with his frightening arm at shortstop, and the entire city followed his batting average thanks to the Shawon-O-Meter; maintained by a bleacher fan. A crazy kid reliever named Mitch Williams had the most terrifying saves imaginable--yet he pulled it off time and time again. And a young pitcher emerged to lead the starting rotation...his name was Greg Maddux.

Still, this team had no business being in the playoffs and they discovered that pretty quickly. The Cubs were clearly overmatched by the Giants, who sported a lineup featuring the likes of Will Clark, Matt Williams, and the MVP of the league--Kevin Mitchell. They say that good pitching always beats good hitting, which can mean only one thing. The Cubs didn't have good pitching.

Greg Maddux was torched in Game 1. The Cubs lost 11-3. The worst moment of the game occurred when Don Zimmer came out to talk to Maddux just before Will Clark came up to bat. The first pitch after the mound visit was crushed for a home run. Clark later said he read Maddux's lips and knew which pitch was coming. That moment sparked the trend of pitchers and catchers covering up their mouths with their gloves when they talk.

In Game 2, thanks to the heroics of Mark Grace who had an unbelievable series (batting .647), the Cubs evened the series. The final score was 9-5, and needless to say, it wasn't exactly a pitching gem. Cubs starter Mike Bielecki (who unbelievably won 18 games during the season) didn't make it out of the fifth inning. Even though the Giants lost, their awesome lineup still managed to hit three home runs (Matt Williams, Kevin Mitchell, and Robbie Thompson).

Game 3 was the turning point of the series. The Cubs actually had a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the 7th in front of 62,000+ fans at Candlestick Park. Rick Sutcliffe had done a great job keeping the Giants in check, but he ran out of gas after running the bases in the top of the 7th and was replaced by Paul Assenmacher, and then Les Lancaster. The Cubs still had the lead when Les Lancaster faced Robby Thompson. Lancaster was confused about the count. He thought it was 3-2, but it was actually 0-2, and instead of wasting a pitch or two, grooved one right down the middle. Thompson hit it for a two run homer and the Giants won 5-4.

The Cubs had a few chances in Game 4, but every time they mounted a charge, their most beloved player came up to bat, and Andre Dawson was so injured he probably shouldn't have been playing. While the fans may have admired that he was gutting it out, the Giants pitchers routinely pitched around the white-hot Mark Grace to get to the ice-cold Dawson. Andre had a horrendous series for the Cubs, batting only .105. He struck out with the bases loaded to lose Game 4.

In Game 5, Will Clark hit a bases loaded single to win the game for the Giants in the bottom of the 8th, and eliminate the Cubs from the playoffs. Clark hit .650 in the series, with 13 hits and 6 extra base hits, and was named the series MVP. The winning pitcher of the game that knocked the Cubs out of the playoffs? Former Cub Rick Reuschel.

It was the last major league playoff game aired by NBC after their long time association with the game.