Christopher Morel smashed a two-run homer off Edwin Díaz in the ninth inning, breaking the tie and leading the Chicago Cubs to a 3-1 victory over the New York Mets on Monday night. The Cubs struggled to get hits against Luis Severino until the eighth inning.
“It was great to see our team stay focused and pull out the win,” Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson commented. “Everyone contributed, which made it a solid team effort. Sometimes you have to win games like this.”
Swanson broke Severino’s no-hit bid with a single in the eighth inning, and the Cubs managed to tie the game later in the inning.
With runners on the corners and one out, pinch-hitter Nick Madrigal hit a ground ball to third baseman Joey Wendle. Instead of trying to stop the tying run, Wendle attempted a double play, but Madrigal reached first base in time, bringing in the tying run.
Brandon Nimmo hit a leadoff homer for the Mets, but after that, Jameson Taillon shut down their offense. It turned into a fast-paced pitchers’ duel, with Taillon allowing just four hits in 7 1/3 innings.
Mark Leiter Jr. earned the win, getting two crucial outs, and Héctor Neris secured the victory with two strikeouts in the ninth inning, despite facing two walks and two runners on base. The game ended quickly, lasting only 2 hours and 5 minutes.
