PITTSBURGH – It seemed more like Wrigley Field without the ivy Saturday night than a sellout crowd at PNC Park.
It is hard to know exactly how many Cubs fans were in the stands, but it seemed like a lot. Their favorite team gave them plenty to cheer for as the Cubs rolled to an 11-0 victory.
The Cubs can sweep the three-game series Sunday afternoon.
Shota Imanaga continued his career-long domination of the Pirates as he pitched six scoreless innings. The left-hander allowed four hits while striking out four and walking one.
Imanaga has allowed only one run to the Pirates over six starts and 38 innings during his three-year career.
Imanaga also had plenty of run support after 2025 National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes held the Cubs scoreless through the first four innings while striking out nine. The Cubs scored three runs off Skenes in the fifth and chased him during a five-run sixth that stretched the lead to 8-0.
Pete Crow-Armstrong led the Cubs’ 16-hit attack as he went 4-for-5 with two doubles, his 23rd home run, three runs scored and three RBIs. Crow-Armstrong’s two-run shot in the seventh inning pushed the lead to 10-0.
Crow-Armstrong broke a scoreless tie by hitting a double off the right-center-field wall in the fifth. Seiya Suzuki followed by lining a two-run single to right field.
The Cubs sent 11 batters to the plate against three pitchers during their five-run sixth. Dansby Swanson doubled in a run, and Miguel Amaya and Michael Busch each hit a two-run single.
James Triantos (Cubs' No. 11 prospect) had his first career hit when he singled in the eighth inning in his MLB debut and scored on Pedro Ramírez’s double. Triantos was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Friday.