The Chicago Cubs will be fighting for their playoff lives on October 8, as they face the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of their NLDS series.
The Cubs need to win three straight games against the No. 1-seeded Brewers if they’re going to advance to the NLCS, as they were outscored by Milwaukee 16-6 during the first two contests in this series, both of which were at the Brewers’ American Family Field.
The good news for Chicago is that they’re now at home for Games 3 and 4. One would imagine that getting to play at the legendary Wrigley Field would be a distinct advantage for this Chicago squad, especially considering how they amassed a 50-31 record during home games in the 2025 regular season before beating the San Diego Padres during a best-of-three NL Wild Card series at Wrigley.
However, those who have been to Wrigley Field understand how unpredictable this field can be.
Not only do they have the iconic ivy covering the outfield walls, which brings its own degree of uncertainty and potential injury, but even more perilous (when it comes to how performance is impacted) is Wrigley Field’s wind patterns.
Every Cubs player (both hitters and pitchers alike) has a story about the wind knocking down what was sure to be a home run, turning it into a harmless fly ball and easy out. In fact, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers published an October 8 article about how Wrigley Field’s wind will impact this NLDS series and free agency, which was titled, “MLB playoffs: Why Wrigley Field is a hitter’s worst nightmare.”
And at one point in the article, Cubs star shortstop Dansby Swanson didn’t mince words about the attitude that can come from playing in Wrigley.
“You can’t have it consume you, but it’s also reality. You would be foolish as a player to not take it into consideration when you go play,” Swanson said of the direction of the wind at Wrigley Field.
He later added, “I can’t remember the last time I hit a double to right-center [at Wrigley]. It’s definitely caused its fair share of frustration.”
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Over the last 2 yrs, the wind has not been a hitter’s friend at Wrigley. “It’s kind of bewildering.”
On the elements, before Game 3 (wind expected in again btw): https://t.co/0SxSaFk6qC— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) October 8, 2025
Ultimately, Swanson has seemingly resigned himself to the fact that he has surely lost home runs because of Wrigley Field’s wind. But he also understands that it impacts both teams, which he explained by saying, “[Juan] Soto and [Giancarlo] Stanton hit some balls pretty hard last season that stayed in the park. You could see it in their faces. I laugh and I’m like, ‘Not here, buddy.'”
Swanson and the Cubs community are hoping the wind plays to their favor during Game 3 on Wednesday.
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