Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder left speechless after Cubs win NLDS

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Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder watched the Cubs’ champagne celebration from a quiet, and relatively dry, corner of the clubhouse on Tuesday night.

Described by friend and Cubs assistant general manager Jason McLeod as a diehard fan, Vedder has enjoyed as much of the current postseason run as possible before Pearl Jam begins its South American tour next month.

Vedder, who said he leaves for the tour on Oct. 29, has attended three of the team’s five postseason contests, including Tuesday’s 6-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals and last Wednesday’s wild-card victory at Pittsburgh.

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“He’s been hanging on every pitch, pacing around the box like we all are and just being quiet and internalizing what he’s thinking is going to go on,” McLeod said. “Obviously he’s been a fan for decades so he’s been hanging with the team inning by inning.”

Shortly after the Cubs’ celebration poured back on to the Wrigley Field playing surface, Vedder emerged from the clubhouse. He wore a backward plastic Cubs blue batting helmet labeled with Joe Maddon’s No. 70. Vedder shared hugs with longtime friend Theo Epstein as well as players Jon Lester and Kyle Schwarber. As cameras stormed over for pictures and interviews, Vedder shied away, ducking out of pictures and heading to the center of the diamond.

Asked for his thoughts, Vedder briefly suggested he was speechless.

“I can’t even say,” he said.

The Cubs open the National League Championship Series in New York or Los Angeles on Saturday and would return for Games 3 through 5 starting next Tuesday.

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Even though he’s set to embark for Chile in 16 days, Vedder didn’t think Tuesday’s win over St. Louis would be his final game at Wrigley.

“I hope not,” Vedder said.

McLeod thought Vedder would be back as well. He also said the front man fears he’d have to sit in an Internet café somewhere if the postseason run were to continue on. Pearl Jam’s tour begins on Nov. 4, the same day as a potential Game 7 of the World Series.

“It has been fun to be around and see how he locked in he is with what’s happening,” McLeod said.

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