Ian Happ knew the game was over as soon as he saw his hard-hit grounder reach right field.
A wild night at Wrigley Field featuring back-and-forth blows from the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers culminated in the 10th inning. Miguel Amaya’s heroics in the bottom of the ninth — hitting a two-out, game-tying home run into the center-field basket off Dodgers closer Tanner Scott — forced extra innings. Right-hander Porter Hodge’s clean top of the 10th stranded the go-ahead run at third base and set up Happ to lead off the bottom of the frame.
When Happ saw Vidal Bruján enter as the extra-innings pinch runner at second base, there was no hesitation in his reaction to the ball getting past a diving Freddie Freeman, pointing to the speedster across the diamond before even reaching first base. Right fielder Teoscar Hernández’s throw to catcher Will Smith was still in the air by the time Bruján dove headfirst across the plate for the winning run to give the Cubs an 11-10 walk-off victory over the Dodgers.
“You know he’s going to score,” Happ said of Bruján. “It’s on the ground the whole way, so he got a good break. The guy flies. It was guaranteed he was going to make it.”
Happ was looking for a strike he could hit to the right side to at least advance Bruján to third. Dodgers reliever Noah Davis gave him exactly what he wanted, and Happ jumped the first-pitch screwball.
Pete Crow-Armstrong was so amped watching the sequence that he was nearly to the third-base line by the time Bruján crossed the plate and immediately mobbed Happ.
“I turned around, I couldn’t believe he was already there — he was running faster than Bruján,” a grinning Happ said. “This group works really hard. It’s a good group of guys. … We all care about each other, so to have that’s really cool and a really cool moment at Wrigley.”
The Cubs (15-10) have a chance to take the regular-season series against the Dodgers with a victory in Wednesday night’s finale.
How the Cubs rallied yet again embodied what has made their offense so dangerous this year.
Six hitters tallied multihit games, led by Happ (4-for-5, double, walk, two runs, RBI), Kyle Tucker (3-for-4, two-run home run, walk, two runs), and Crow-Armstrong (3-for-5, double, two-run home run, two runs, three RBIs). The Cubs used a five-run first inning to erase the three unearned runs Shota Imanaga allowed in the top half.
Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ (8) celebrates with his team after he hit a walk-off RBI single to give the Cubs an 11-10 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in extra innings at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
A deep lineup has shown consistent resiliency and isn’t relying on one pocket of hitters to fuel it. Tuesday marked the seventh time this year the Cubs have scored at least 10 runs, their most through 25 games in a season since 1895, something no other team has done more than three times in that span, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
“It’s a fun team to watch play, I mean, that’s what I’d tell you is come out to the park and watch the team play because this homestand they’ve done some amazing things and some resilient things, most importantly,” manager Craig Counsell said. “And you win games like that early in the season, it’s a great kind of carry forward for the rest of the season. But we did a heck of a job against a very good baseball team.”
Right-hander Gavin Hollowell’s season debut out of the bullpen shouldn’t be overlooked in the Cubs’ comeback efforts. After the Dodgers went ahead 10-7 with five runs in the seventh — aided by third baseman Gage Workman’s second error of the night — Hollowell tossed two perfect innings to give them a shot to whittle at the deficit.
Photos: Chicago Cubs walk-off the Los Angeles Dodgers in 10 innings at Wrigley Field
Tucker’s two-run home run off lefty Alex Vesia in the eighth brought them within one run. Tucker’s seven home runs are tied for the second-most in the National League, and he’s tied for the MLB lead with 25 RBIs.
“He’s been phenomenal,” Happ said. “The at-bats, the quality of the at-bats, the contact, but, yeah, against the good lefty there, a couple ugly swings early and stay with that at-bat, know what he’s looking for, get the pitch he can handle and not miss it. That’s the game when you don’t miss those pitches, and he doesn’t very often.”
When Amaya’s turn arrived to deliver the clutch hit, the 26-year-old seized the moment against one of baseball’s best relievers. The Cubs entered Tuesday with their catchers, Amaya and Carson Kelly, combining for the highest offensive WAR (1.5) of any team’s position group except Mets first basemen (1.7) and Padres right fielders (1.7).
Amaya’s home run into the center-field basket only would have been gone at Wrigley, according to Statcast.
“No matter what, who’s in the lineup, we’re ready to do damage and the team is ready to do damage,” Amaya said. “I haven’t been in the playoffs, but guys that have been in the playoffs, they say this is kind of like a playoff environment. So I love playing in the playoff environment.
“We don’t quit here.”
Wins like Tuesday’s and Friday’s bonkers 13-11 victory versus the Arizona Diamondbacks are the type of games that become part of the lore for a team that makes a run to the postseason. The Cubs must prove they can deliver the offensive consistency that eluded them after April last year. But these are the special nights that, even with roster flaws at third base and in the bullpen, let fans dream of a team’s potential.
The Cubs are 10-9 against the NL West’s Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Diamondbacks, all of whom they won’t face again in the regular season after Wednesday. That trio of teams is among the best in MLB, combining for a 47-24 record.
“We know those are good baseball teams, and it should give you confidence, is what it should do,” Counsell said. “We haven’t earned anything. Nothing’s happened because of that. But it should give us confidence for the rest of the year.”
Originally Published: April 23, 2025 at 12:18 AM CDT
