During a news conference ahead of the Cubs' 2-1 loss in 13 innings to the Rockies in the National League Wild Card Game on Tuesday night, Cubs infielder Javier Baez said his club has "got to stop worrying about other teams," and "go out there and compete."
Baez went on to say, "If we do that, there's no team that can beat us, and they know that. So that's why they run their mouth a lot, because they know we're the best. Even when we're struggling, we are the head of everybody."
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That statement was in response to a question about the up-and-down nature of the Cubs' offense this season, and in a follow-up question, Baez was asked who he was referring to when he said, "They run their mouth a lot."
"It doesn't matter, like, everybody," Baez said. "Everybody, fans. Who cares? I don't pay attention to it, but it's around us, and if we pay attention, we get in their trap."
Though it's unclear whether Baez was referring to Yasiel Puig, the Dodgers outfielder made an emphatic statement following Los Angeles' victory over the Rockies in Monday's NL West tiebreaker, guaranteeing the Dodgers would win the 2018 World Series.
"Hey, Atlanta, I'll see you soon, baby," Puig said in a postgame interview with SportsNet LA. "And the next one -- Chicago, Colorado, no matter who's going -- we're going to beat it. And we're going to the World Series again. And this time, we're going to win the World Series. In 2018, the big party is here in Los Angeles."
In 2016, the Cubs defeated the Dodgers in six games to win the NL pennant before winning their first World Series championship in 108 years. Last year, the Dodgers defeated the Cubs in a five-game NL Championship Series before losing to the Astros in a seven-game World Series.