The stunned reality of a season ending takes time to sink in.

A quiet visitors clubhouse Saturday night at American Family Field saw lots of hugs, handshakes and players trying to explain what this team meant to them. In the minutes after the Cubs lost the decisive Game 5 of the National League Division Series to the Milwaukee Brewers, manager Craig Counsell addressed the team in the clubhouse.

His message resonated within the room: They represented the Cubs uniform with pride.

“There’s a lot of people in this room that are really proud to be Cubs, and lot of people who love Chicago and want to bring more winning baseball to Chicago,” Jameson Taillon said. “We were with pride in the sense that this group prepared more than I’ve ever seen a group of guys prepare in the weight room,

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