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Top Moments Of Cubs' Regular Season

By Chris Emma—

(CBS) What a memorable 2015 baseball season it has been in Chicago.

The Cubs exceeded most expectations by surpassing the 90-win mark and earning a postseason berth, as they sat at 93-65 entering play Thursday. There have been countless thrills along the way.

As the wild-card game approaches next Wednesday, let's relive the best of times from this season.

1.) Aug. 30 -- Jake Arrieta's no-hitter: The 2015 dominance of Arrieta reached its pinnacle when he no-hit the Dodgers on Sunday Night Baseball. In fitting fashion, he struck out the side in the ninth inning, recording the Cubs' first no-hitter since Carlos Zambrano in 2008.

2.) July 27 -- Kris Bryant's two-out, two-run walk-off homer: Looking to avoid a four-game losing streak and after the Cubs blew a ninth-inning lead, Bryant came up with two outs and a man on, then won the game with a two-run walk-off home run. After the 9-8 win over Colorado, Chicago won 16 of its next 19 games.

3.) July 21 -- Kyle Schwarber ties, wins game with homers in Cincinnati: A homecoming was sweet for Schwarber, who grew up just north of Cincinnati. He belted a two-run homer in the ninth inning to tie the Reds, then hit a blast in the 13th to earn his Cubs the 5-4 win.

4.) Aug. 12 -- Anthony Rizzo makes miraculous catch: Every once in a while, you'll see something never before seen in baseball. When Rizzo corralled a foul ball after leaping onto the tarp and falling into the stands, Wrigley Field went wild. That play will be remembered for a long time.

5.) Sept. 6 -- Bryant blasts longest home of season: There were many spectacular moments in Bryant's rookie season, but this homer that nearly cleared the video board may top it all. The distance was estimated at 495 feet, but manager Joe Maddon contested that it went farther.

6.) Sept. 19 -- Addison Russell's spectacular play beats Cardinals: With three St. Louis runs in and the tying run on base, Russell made a terrific diving stop and an impressive diving flip to second for the game's final out, giving the Cubs a dramatic 5-4 win over the Cardinals.

7.) Aug. 24 – Bryant's walk-off beats Cleveland: The rookie did it again in a makeup game with the Indians, breaking a 1-1 tie with a walk-off homer in the ninth inning. The photo of his trot to home plate would make Sports Illustrated a few days later.

8.) Sept. 22 -- Arrieta's 20th win: Maddon loves a good moment, so he let Arrieta go past 120 pitches in his 20th win of the season, a 4-0 shutout of Milwaukee that saw him surrender just three hits and strike out 11.

9.) June 23 – Cubs outlast Zack Greinke, as Chris Denorfia wins it in 10: A scoreless tie was broken up in the 10th inning when Denorfia hit a sac fly to beat the Dodgers. He was then carried horizontally by a group of teammates in a wild on-field celebration.

10.) July 1 – Rizzo makes magic: One day after Maddon brought a magician to the Cubs' clubhouse, Rizzo made a crafty pump-fake slide on a steal to third in the ninth inning. "It's magic, it's magic," he said to the Cubs' dugout. Chicago would go on to win it 2-0 in 11 innings and sweep all three in New York and the seven total games against the Mets.

Follow Chris on Twitter @CEmma670.

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