GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Cade Horton took the mound at Goodyear Ballpark on Monday night, and the Cleveland Guardians saw many of the reasons why the Cubs right-hander was one of baseball’s best arms down the stretch last season.
In a 5-2 Cactus League win for the North Siders, Horton filled up the strike zone, tested out five pitches and missed bats at a high clip. With the start of Chicago’s season only 10 days away, it was a great time for the righty to begin firing on all cylinders.
“I felt like tonight I put it all together,” Horton said.
Facing a Guardians lineup featuring several players with Major League experience, the 24-year-old Horton finished with the kind of line that the Cubs would love to see throughout the 2026 campaign. Horton worked five innings, ending with 10 strikeouts and just one walk, allowing one run on three hits along the way.
Horton also racked up 21 whiffs, which marked a single-game high for any pitcher in Spring Training this year. Go figure, Cleveland starter Gavin Williams also posted 21 whiffs on the opposite side against a light Cubs lineup. Horton generated 11 of those swinging strikes via his changeup, which he focused on in this outing. The pitcher’s season-high for whiffs last season was 19 on July 9.
Horton said he was very intentional about using that particular pitch against the Guardians, who had six left-handed batters (two switch-hitters) in the starting lineup. The righty used the changeup 12.8% of the time in his rookie season last year, but upped that rate to 28% in his 72-pitch effort against the Guardians.
“Last week, I made it a point to work on it in my bullpen,” Horton said. “And then I wanted to see it come to fruition today, and I did that. Fortunate to have such a left-handed lineup today to be able to throw it as much as I did.”
Horton threw 35 four-seam fastballs, which averaged 95.9 mph with a max velocity of 98.6 mph against Cleveland, per Statcast. He also worked in 20 changeups, eight sweepers, eight curveballs and one sinker. The 21 whiffs came against 41 total swings, amounting to an absurd 51% whiff rate.
“We did a really good job of sequencing,” Horton said. “I mean, the whiffs are cool, but I’m not up there chasing whiff. I’m just up there executing pitches.”
The performance came after Horton allowed six runs in 3 2/3 innings in a rough outing against the Rangers on Tuesday in Surprise, Ariz. After that game, the righty sounded like a veteran as he unpacked the start, focusing on the process over any on-field results. Even with Spring Training stats often carrying little significance, Horton was proud of how he bounced back.
“It feels really good,” Horton said. “Last week, I got hit around a little bit. But I feel like I put a good work week together. And so, to see the work I put in the middle of the week to today, I feel like it’s really cool to see what you’re working [show up for] you in the game.”
What showed up on Monday night was very much what Cubs fans witnessed throughout last season.
Overall, Horton went 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA, piling up 97 strikeouts against 33 walks in 118 innings, as he dealt with some workload restrictions. He fashioned a 1.03 ERA in a dozen starts after the All-Star break, helping him surge to a runner-up finish in the balloting for the National League Rookie of the Year Award.
Horton had a case for taking the ball for the Cubs on Opening Day on March 26, but the righty appears lined up for the second game of the year on March 28 against the Nationals at Wrigley Field. The starter said he was thrilled for veteran Matthew Boyd, who was given the Opening Day assignment for the North Siders.
“I’m so excited for him,” Horton said. “There’s nobody more deserving than him. He goes about his business the right way. He’s just the ultimate teammate. He just really does put the organization above himself. I think it’s really cool to watch him and just be able to share a clubhouse with him. I’m really excited to watch him go out there and shove.”