Mike Tauchman spread his arms just before crossing home plate and turned toward the packed stands, the Cubs fans’ cheers raining down on him.
His first career walk-off home run put the Cubs over the White Sox 7-6 on Wednesday, for the team’s first consecutive wins in a month.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever hit a walk-off homer, so I didn’t really know what to do,” Tauchman said. “I’ve seen some. But I love this group. And that was a win that took every single guy.”
Emotion was heightened — as evident in Nico Hoerner’s first career ejection in the fourth inning for arguing a strike call on a pitch off the plate. The Cubs had lost nine of their last 11 games. A crosstown rivalry had brought the team with the worst record in the majors to Wrigley Field. And for the second time in the two-game series, the Cubs were trailing after a White Sox fourth-inning rally.
On Tuesday, the Cubs had tapped into a boost of power after a rain delay to pull off a narrow victory, in front of an enthusiastic crowd. On Wednesday, they pulled off another comeback.
The White Sox stacked up six singles in that four-run fourth inning. The first rattled in and out of right fielder Seiya Suzuki’s glove as he tried to make a sliding catch. On the fourth, left fielder Ian Happ might have had a chance to throw out the runner at home, or at least make it a close play, but third baseman Christopher Morel cut off the throw that Happ laid out to make.
The Cubs tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning, with the help of a balk call. Then in the seventh, they put runners on second and third, with a hit by pitch, walk and another balk call.
Tauchman worked an 11-pitch walk, fouling off five straight fastballs. The final pitch was a changeup in the dirt that got past the catcher. Dansby Swanson scored on a wild pitch to cut the White Sox’ lead to one run.
“Just a great battle,” manager Craig Counsell said. “And it’s just impressive. The pitcher gets you into swing mode with a bunch of foul balls, and just to have the discipline to take, that was a huge at-bat in that inning.”
Cody Bellinger hit a sacrifice fly to tie it up. Morel drew a walk to push another runner into scoring position — although he fouled off a pitch into his left foot in the process and was replaced by pinch runner Patrick Wisdom.
Then, Happ reached out to hit a changeup off the end of his bat, breaking it in the process. The barrel flew up the third-base line, and on his way to first base, Happ chucked the knob behind him, having put the Cubs in the lead.
It was short-lived.
Cubs reliever Hayden Wesneski entered the game in the top of the eighth inning, and on his first pitch, he gave up a game-tying home run to Paul DeJong.
The momentary blow gave way to jubilation the next inning. Tauchman watched a first-pitch fastball for a ball. But the next came in about belt high, and Tauchman sent it out of the park.
