Within 20 minutes, the boos from the 39,614 spectators at Wrigley Field turned into pure cheering.
The Cubs had lost a three-run lead in the 9th inning, and the crowd showed their displeasure when Héctor Neris and the Cubs left the field and the game ended in a tie. One inning later, Seiya Suzuki turned his frustration into celebration by hitting a walk-off single in the Cubs’ 6-5 victory over the Blue Jays at Wrigley Field.
With a 5-2 lead in the ninth inning, manager Craig Counsell turned to Neris for a save – his first pitcher since Saturday’s win over the White Sox. Neris allowed three singles from the first four batters he faced.
(WATCH: Craig Counsell looks for consistency to ‘earn’ winning streaks)
It looked like he had gotten a big second out when he struck out Toronto’s 9-hitter Leo Jiménez. But Neris was awarded a balk that neither the crowd nor the Cubs noticed at first base, scoring a run and extending the lead to 2 runs. Neris then allowed a 2-run triple to George Springer to tie the game before striking out Daulton Varsho to end the inning.
It was a wild series for the Cubs, who were heading for a much-needed win as they began a crucial 18-game series against teams with a sub-.500 record. They had built a 3-run lead thanks to 4 home runs – a 2-run shot by Cody Bellinger and solo hits by Pete Crow-Armstrong, Miguel Amaya and Ian Happ. That lead was aided by a solid start from Kyle Hendricks, who allowed 2 runs (1 earned) in 5 innings.
The Cubs went down in order in the bottom half of the 9th inning, but Tyson Miller provoked two flyouts and a ground ball, leaving the reliever runner standing in the top half of the 10th inning.
In the bottom half of the inning, Michael Busch worked a walk that set the stage for Suzuki’s walk-off single to left field, the first of his career.
With this win, the Cubs are now 3 games under .500 and 5 games out of the NL Wild Card. It’s still a daunting task, but if there was ever an opportunity for a run, now is the time.
The Cubs won’t face a team on a winning streak until they play the Yankees on September 6. They could have the perfect opportunity to build an impressive winning streak, something they have rarely done this season.
“I think the message for everyone here is: We have to do it today and then move on to the next day,” Counsell said before the game. “It doesn’t help me to worry about the series against the Miami Marlins right now.”
