PITTSBURGH — In a remarkable turn of events on Saturday, the Chicago Cubs staged a stunning comeback against Paul Skenes, MLB’s most hyped pitching prospect, and the Pittsburgh Pirates, despite a seemingly insurmountable lead. Skenes was pulled early in the fifth inning, leaving with a 6-1 advantage, after allowing the Cubs to get two men on base with nobody out. What followed was an inning so bizarre it etched its name into the record books.
The Cubs’ patience at the plate translated into a staggering seven-run inning, highlighted by an extraordinary sequence of events that led them to take the lead, albeit briefly, in a game that lasted more than three hours and concluded with a Pirates’ 10-9 victory.
Despite the deficit, the Cubs capitalized on Pittsburgh’s pitching struggles. Justin Steele, the Cubs’ pitcher, had a rough start, giving up three homers in just four innings. However, the Cubs’ fortunes began to change when Mike Tauchman hit a double and Seiya Suzuki singled, setting the stage for what was to come.
Kyle Nicolas replaced Skenes and was close to escaping the inning unscathed with two strikeouts, but he then hit Ian Happ with a pitch and proceeded to walk three consecutive batters, loading the bases. Josh Fleming took over from Nicolas but continued the trend by walking Yan Gomes, adding another run for the Cubs. In what seemed like a never-ending saga of miscontrol, the Cubs witnessed 15 straight balls at one point between the two pitchers.
An approaching storm paused the game right after Tauchman tied the game 6-6, leading to a delay of 2 hours and 20 minutes, during which a tornado warning was issued. Once play resumed under clear skies featuring two double rainbows, the bizarre inning continued with Colin Holderman on the mound for the Pirates. He walked Suzuki and then Bellinger, without much resistance, adding to the tally of bases-loaded walks.
This inning alone saw the Cubs receive six bases-loaded walks, breaking a long-standing record since April 22, 1959, when the White Sox managed eight in a single inning. It was an inning of weird baseball history not seen in decades and a testament to patience paying off in unexpected ways.
Shortstop Nico Hoerner compared the day’s events to playing a doubleheader and acknowledged the unusual strategy of relying on walks, while Manager Craig Counsell reflected on the uniqueness of baseball, showcasing something new every day. Though the strategy of capitalizing on opponents’ mistakes is not sustainable long-term, it provided an unforgettable moment and demonstrated that in baseball, the unforeseen is always waiting around the corner.