The left-hander who had not pitched in Major League Baseball since 2021 will open the most important game of the Cubs' season as they seek their first trip to the NLCS in eight years.

We've got another winner-take-all contest in the 2025 MLB playoffs, with the Chicago Cubs heading north to face the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 5 of the NLDS. The home team has won every game in this series, with Milwaukee taking the first two games and Chicago responding with wins in Game 3 and Game 4.

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 04: Matthew Boyd #16 of the Chicago Cubs exits the game during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in game one of the Division Series at American Family Field on October 04, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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The Dodgers advance to the NLCS, awaiting the winner of the Cubs-Brewers series. The Phillies head to the winter empty-handed again. Since returning to the playoffs in 2022, they have lost in the World Series, lost in the NLCS and now lost in the NLDS two straight years.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio returned to the lineup and hit a three-run homer in Game 2 of an NL Division Series against the Chicago Cubs on Monday night after tightness in his right hamstring caused him to exit the series opener.