The Chicago Cubs are on fire, and they showed it again Tuesday night with a thrilling 3-2 walk-off win over the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field. It’s their seventh straight victory, and they’ve now won 17 of their last 20 games—a stretch that’s turning heads across the league.
The hero of the night was Michael Busch, who delivered in a big way. After smashing a game-tying solo homer in the eighth inning—a 427-foot blast to right-center off Tony Santillan—Busch came up clutch again in the 10th. Leading off the extra frame, he hit a grounder up the middle that handcuffed Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, allowing Dansby Swanson to race home from second base for the winning run. It was the kind of play that shows why the Cubs are riding high: they never quit, and they find ways to win.
This win also extended Chicago’s home winning streak to 13 straight games, their best at Wrigley Field since a 14-game run back in 2008. The crowd was electric, and for good reason—the Cubs have made a habit of late-inning heroics. Just a night earlier, they scored two in the ninth to beat the Reds, who have now lost a season-high five in a row.
The game wasn’t without drama for both sides. Reds closer Emilio Pagán entered in the ninth but crumpled to the ground clutching his left hamstring after just one pitch to Nico Hoerner. He was carted off the field, leaving the Reds scrambling. Reliever Jose Franco walked Hoerner, then retired Alex Bregman on a line drive before walking Ian Happ. But with runners on first and second, Franco escaped the jam by getting Seiya Suzuki to pop out and Swanson to fly out.
Earlier, the Reds struck first. JJ Bleday launched a solo homer to right in the first inning—his second in as many nights—to make it 1-0. Nathaniel Lowe added another solo shot in the sixth off Cubs starter Jameson Taillon, pushing the lead to 2-0. Taillon was solid, giving up two runs and five hits over 5 2/3 innings, but the Cubs’ bullpen kept them in it. Ryan Rolison (3-0) worked a clean 10th for the win.
The Cubs chipped away in the seventh when Bregman singled home a run off Connor Phillips, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Then came Busch’s tying homer in the eighth, setting the stage for extra innings. It was only the fourth loss in 20 games for the Cubs, a testament to their hot streak.
Looking ahead, the Reds send right-hander Brady Singer (2-2, 5.57 ERA) to the mound, while the Cubs counter with righty Colin Rea (4-1, 4.41 ERA). If this series is any indication, fans are in for another exciting matchup.