Chicago Cubs With Thrilling Victory Over White Sox in 7-6 Comeback

The Chicago Cubs mounted another comeback victory against their crosstown rivals the Chicago White Sox Wednesday night, winning 7-6 in walk-off fashion. It was deja vu in the second game of this interleague series, with the White Sox jumping out to an early lead before the Cubs stormed back to take a 7-6 win.

The Chicago White Sox took another 5-1 lead in Wednesday’s game before the Cubs took advantage of some south side miscues to get back into the game and set up Mike Tauchman to walk it off in the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run and his first career walk-off. The loss ties the White Sox franchise record as their 13th loss in a row.

When will the White Sox finally get back in the win column?

Chicago White Sox Jump To Early Lead

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After losing Tuesday night’s game in heartbreaking fashion, the Chicago White Sox came out swinging in the second game of the Crosstown Cup. Corey Julks attacked the first pitch of the ball game and took it for a ride, sending it into the left field bleachers and giving the White Sox an early 1-0 lead.

The early offense would continue for the Sox in a big fourth inning. With the game tied 1-1, Chicago produced six singles and plated four runs to jump out to their second straight 5-1 advantage in their road series at Wrigley. All nine batters came to bat in the inning against Jameson Taillon, who wasn’t on his game in this one. Leaving after five innings, the veteran right-hander allowed a season-high ten hits to the cellar-dwelling White Sox.

Chicago Cubs Chip Away

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On the other side of the pitching matchup was Erik Fedde. After letting across one run in the second on a fielder’s choice, Fedde pitched with a 5-1 lead. Through four innings he was sharp, generating lots of whiffs and weak contact. When the Chicago Cubs order came around to see him for a third time however, the tide shifted.

After Seiya Suzuki reached on an infield single to load the bases in the fifth, the Cubs plated their second run of the game on another fielder’s choice, making it 5-2. Fedde then balked checking on the runner at first, allowing the second run of the inning to come in and score. Fedde was done after five, giving up three runs, six hits, no walks, and striking out seven on 93 pitches.

The next threat for the Cubs came in the seventh inning with Mike Soroka on the mound. The first two batters of the frame reached without a hit and after another White Sox balk, Mike Tauchman looked at a ball four that was spiked in front of the plate and made it to the backstop. That allowed Dansby Swanson to come in and score.

Cody Bellinger faced a new arm for the Chicago White Sox, Jared Shuster. Bellinger missed his opportunity to give the Cubs the lead on a fastball over the middle but sent it deep enough into center field that Yan Gomes could waltz in from third and tie the game at 5-5. Two batters later, it was Ian Happ’s opportunity to take the lead and he did not waste it, pushing a broken-bat single into center field to give the Cubs a 6-5 lead.

Power Surge in Final Innings

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The 6-5 lead wouldn’t last long however, as Paul DeJong jumped on the first pitch he saw from new Cubs reliever Hayden Wesneski and sent it over the left field wall, tying the game at 6-6. Much like the Julks home run to open the ball game, the pitch was right over the plate and got out of the park in a hurry.

The home run was the only hit that Wesneski gave up but he was lifted from the game after a two-out walk in favor of Mark Leiter Jr., who stranded the runner at first. Hector Neris came in to work the ninth, and just like Tuesday night, found himself with the speedy Duke Ellis at second base. Ellis would’ve had a great chance to motor in and score if Oscar Colas’ liner wasn’t right at the first baseman Michael Busch.

After the Cubs closer worked a scoreless ninth, Michael Kopech came in looking to do the same but that fantasy wouldn’t last one hitter. Mike Tauchman was the first to see Kopech and on the second pitch he saw, took a 98 MPH fastball to deep center and Luis Robert Jr. could only watch as it sailed up and over the basket in center field. This was Tauchman’s fifth long ball of the year and his first career walk-off homer. The Cubs swept the two-game series, both by 7-6 finals.

From this Series: Chicago White Sox Choke Late to Crosstown Rival Chicago Cubs

About the Author

Mathias Woerner is based in the Chicagoland area, hoping to help inform and entertain fans for sports of all kinds. His favorite sport is baseball, but he also loves basketball and football, while also showing interest in golf, tennis, hockey, soccer, boxing, and others.

As a Cubs fan, he is hoping that Craig Counsell proves he’s worth the league-leading salary he got in the offseason. He likes that Hector Neris is pitching well in his new role, but thinks that the Chicago Cubs still need to trade for a permanent closer.