Cubs vs Pirates Recap: Tight Finish as Pirates Edge Cubs 2-1

The Chicago Cubs rolled into Pittsburgh down 1-9 in their last ten games. One win in the past ten? That's rough. The Pirates were playing at PNC Park, their home field, and they had their own momentum building with two straight wins. The Cubs needed to bounce back badly. Ben Brown was on the mound for Chicago, ready to shut down the Pirates' bats. The final score would be 2-1, Pirates, but it came down to the wire. Michael Busch carried the Cubs' hopes with his powerful swing. Catcher Joey Bart was banged up for Pittsburgh, so Henry Davis stepped behind the plate. Both teams wanted this one badly—every game matters in May.

In the third inning, Brandon Lowe stepped up for Pittsburgh and ripped a 90-mile-per-hour changeup to left field. The ball exploded off his bat for a double, and Spencer Horwitz raced home to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead. The Cubs trailed early, but they wouldn't stay down long. Two innings later, Michael Busch came up in the fifth inning with two outs. He looked at a 94-mile-per-hour sinker from Carmen Mlodzinski and connected. The ball rocketed 409 feet over center field. The Cubs' dugout erupted. Busch pumped his fist rounding the bases. Just like that, it was tied 1-1. One swing changed everything.

The game was locked at 1-1 heading into the seventh inning. Everything came down to one moment. Henry Davis stepped up to face Cubs reliever Trent Thornton. The first pitch was a 92-mile-per-hour cutter for a strike. On the third pitch, another 91-mile-per-hour cutter came in. Davis didn't miss. He drove it deep to left field—413 feet into the night sky. The Pirates' bench stormed onto the field. The home crowd at PNC Park went wild. That was it. One swing. One moment. The Pirates won 2-1. The Cubs fell to 29-25. Pittsburgh moved to 28-26 with the win. Gregory Soto threw the final inning for the save. One game came down to one pitch.