A remarkable accomplishment was achieved by the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday evening at Wrigley Field, primarily due to the efforts of Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Busch secured a 7-6 victory for the Cubs against the Cincinnati Reds in the 10th inning by drawing a bases-loaded walk. This decisive play followed Crow-Armstrong’s two-run blast in the ninth inning, which leveled the score and extended the game into extra innings.
Astoundingly, this represented the squad’s third successive walk-off triumph against the Reds. The Cubs have now become the initial MLB team to accomplish this distinction since the Los Angeles Dodgers secured three consecutive walk-off victories over the Colorado Rockies in their 2019 season.
The Cubs initiated this winning streak with a 5-4 victory over the Reds on Monday evening, featuring a ninth-inning solo home run from pinch-hitter Michael Conforto. Subsequently, on Tuesday night, Busch delivered a 10th-inning single that brought in Dansby Swanson, clinching a 3-2 win.
This progression culminated in Wednesday’s win, which signified the Cubs’ eighth consecutive win overall and their fourteenth successive win at Wrigley Field. Although perhaps less dramatic than the previous two walk-offs, its significance remained unquestionable.
The primary drama, nevertheless, unfolded in the ninth inning, as the Reds accumulated four runs to establish a 6-4 advantage, propelled by a home run from Spencer Steer and an RBI single from JJ Bleday. However, Elly De La Cruz executed a sacrifice fly, which Seiya Suzuki caught near the outfield barrier. Suzuki stumbled after securing the catch, enabling two runs to score on the sacrifice fly, thereby handing the Reds a two-run cushion.
However, Crow-Armstrong retaliated in the latter half of the inning with his season’s fourth long ball.
The Cubs currently hold a 25-12 record and occupy the top position in the NL Central division. This sequence of walk-off victories represents the longest for the franchise since 2009, when they similarly achieved three consecutive wins against the White Sox and Cleveland.
Conversely, the Reds have endured six consecutive losses and maintain a 20-17 standing. The two clubs are scheduled to conclude their four-game set on Thursday afternoon.
