CHICAGO -- It had been one of those afternoons when the Cubs were putting a steady stream of runners on base, but struggling to cash in on Sunday. That was a theme in the first couple weeks of this season prior to Chicago’s recent run of offensive outbursts.
The woes within the first eight innings were rendered moot after the Cubs pulled off a 2-1 victory in 10 innings via Nico Hoerner’s walk-off sacrifice fly at Wrigley Field. The win extended Chicago’s winning streak to five games, while knocking New York to its 11th defeat in a row.
Facing veteran reliever Craig Kimbrel in the 10th, Pete Crow-Armstrong started on second as the automatic runner and hustled to third on a wild pitch. Hoerner sent a pitch to right-center and Crow-Armstrong tagged and scored easily, sprinting beyond the plate and hopping up on a brick wall to celebrate with fans.
The Cubs put the leadoff hitter aboard five times, including in each of the first three innings against opener Tobias Myers (two innings) and lefty David Peterson. Chicago, which scored 51 runs in the previous six games, was 0-for-15 with runners on base after Seiya Suzuki struck out with a pinch-runner Scott Kingery on first base in the ninth.
That set the stage for the Cubs’ game-tying rally.
Michael Conforto -- who spent the first seven years of his career with the Mets -- came off the bench as a pinch-hitter to face closer Devin Williams. Conforto doubled to right to score Kingery, who entered after Ian Happ led off the frame with a single. That pushed the contest into extra innings.
Cubs righty Javier Assad picked up a no-decision after lasting into the sixth inning with his sinker working and the wind playing to his favor. Assad’s only setback arrived in the fifth, when MJ Melendez launched a leadoff homer to right field that served as New York’s lone breakthrough.