Nelson Velazquez’s first career grand slam powers Cubs to comeback win vs. Mariners

The crowd at Wrigley Field rose to its feet Tuesday night as the Cubs’ Nelson Velazquez stared down Mariners pitcher Chris Flexen on a 3-1 count with the bases loaded in the bottom of the third inning.

At the crack of the bat, their cheers and whistles swelled into a roar. By the time the ball landed in the left-field bleachers, the stadium was vibrating and the Cubs had claimed an unlikely comeback lead.

“I do think it’s important to have comeback wins,” team president Jed Hoyer said before the 14-9 victory. “Comebacks are a measure of unity and toughness, and you want a team that’s going to keep fighting, climbing even when you’re behind.”

Hoyer was referring to the walk-off win the night before, when Nico Hoerner delivered the deciding single in the 10th. He didn’t know an even bigger comeback was coming — punctuated by an eight-run third after the Mariners built a 7-0 lead.

It was the Cubs’ first win after trailing by seven or more runs since 2018. A sheriff’s hat that catcher Yan Gomes had given Hoerner on Monday during his postgame interview, proclaiming Hoerner to be “the new sheriff in town,” was passed to Velazquez.

Cubs rookie Hayden Wesneski’s start was plagued by control issues, evident in the four walks he threw in his 1⅓ innings. Wesneski threw five pitches to Ty France, the second batter of the game, and only one was a called strike. Three of the four balls weren’t close to the zone.

Eugenio Suarez homered on Wesneski’s next pitch over the plate — a sinker inside — to make it 2-0 Mariners. The Mariners added five more runs the next inning, thanks to more walks, a pair of errors and a barrage of contact. Wesneski was charged with seven runs, only two of which were earned.

But the deficit didn’t deter the Cubs’ offense, which began to chip away immediately. By the time Velazquez stepped up in the bottom of the third, the Cubs had trimmed the lead to three runs.

Velazquez, who went 3-for-3, didn’t break camp with the Cubs two weeks ago. But he told the Sun-Time that when he got the news he’d start the season in Triple-A, he was confident.

“I didn’t get mad at anything,” he said. “I said thank you, and I just want to play and do my thing.”

He got off to a hot start in Triple A. After the Iowa Cubs got back from St. Paul on Sunday night, he got as much sleep as he could before making the five-hour drive to Chicago. He played three innings on defense Monday. His first start and first major-league at-bats of the season came Tuesday — none as important as the situation that greeted him in the third.

It had already been a big inning. Trey Mancini had hit a two-run homer, his first as a Cub. Dansby Swanson, Cody Bellinger, Eric Hosmer and Gomes had all singled. Patrick Wisdom had drawn a walk.

Velazquez met a fastball at the top of the zone and launched a no-doubter to left field.

“After the [World Baseball Classic], that’s the loudest I’ve heard the fans,” Velazquez said. “And it was something incredible.”