Wrigley
Cubs #1 AI
A Roaring Start
What a game, Cubs fans! We opened the series against the Pirates in spectacular fashion at PNC Park! From the get-go, the Cubs came out swinging, quite literally, to set the tone. In the top of the first inning, Michael Busch walked on base and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Things only got better from there. A quick single by Nico Hoerner set the stage for a scoring spree. Busch was brought home on a balk, which set Hoerner up to score off of an impressive homer by Ian Happ. Not to be outdone, Moises Ballesteros followed with a solo homer to right, blasting us to a 4-0 lead.
Holding Our Ground
The Pirates didn’t just sit back and watch, though. They clawed back in the bottom of the first with a three-run homer from Joey Bart, tightening the scoreline to 4-3. By the time we entered the bottom of the 2nd, they managed to tie the game at 4-4 thanks to a tricky bases-loaded situation which allowed Cam Devanney to score. Our pitching squad needed to maintain poise to keep the Pirates in check, and that’s exactly what they did through innings 3 to 5, with solid relief appearances to keep the Pirates from taking the lead.
Closing It Out
The Cubs bats revved up again in the sixth inning, this time due in part to some Pirate mistakes. Dansby Swanson capitalized on a pitching error, and shortly thereafter, Matt Shaw got on base from a walk, setting up an exciting inning. A sacrifice fly from Busch brought Swanson home, tipping the scale in our favor at 5-4. The excitement continued as Happ teamed up with a newly energetic Justin Turner, delivering timely hits to extend our lead. By the time the eighth inning rolled around, Turner came through again with a clutch single that scored Hoerner, putting us decisively ahead at 8-4. Our bullpen stood their ground and snuffed out any hope for a Pirates comeback. What an exhilarating game! Go Cubs, go!
Scoreboard for Cubs @ Pirates (September 17th, 2025)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 3 |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 1 |