Suzuki's Two-Run Single in the 10th Sinks Milwaukee
Seiya Suzuki singled to left in the 10th inning, scoring two runs and swinging Milwaukee's win probability from 37% to 9% in a single swing. The Cubs walked out of Milwaukee with a 4-3 win, stealing a game that Brandon Woodruff had done everything in his power to hand the Brewers.
For six innings, this looked like Brandon Woodruff's masterpiece in progress. The Milwaukee starter went 5.2 innings, allowing just 1 hit, 0 earned runs, walking 2 and striking out 6 — a performance that should have been untouchable. The Cubs couldn't touch him, but they didn't need to. In the seventh, a wild pitch by a Milwaukee reliever scored a run and tied the game at 1, erasing Gary Sanchez's 415-foot solo shot to left in the second that had given Milwaukee the early lead. That's the kind of night it was for the Brewers: dominant starting pitching, a spectacular home run, and still not enough.
The game went to extras knotted at 1, and the 10th inning became a full-blown disaster for Milwaukee. Michael Busch drew a walk that scored a run and put Chicago ahead 2-1 — a call Milwaukee challenged and lost. Then came the moment that ended it: Suzuki singled to left, scoring two more and pushing the Cubs to a 4-1 lead. That single swung Milwaukee's win probability from 37% to 9%, a 28-point collapse on one pitch. Suzuki finished 1-for-5 with 2 RBI. Busch went 0-for-4 but drove in a run. Nico Hoerner went 2-for-4. The Cubs didn't beat Woodruff — they beat the bullpen and the extra innings format, which is a perfectly legitimate way to win a baseball game.
Milwaukee made it interesting in the bottom of the 10th. Christian Yelich singled to right to score a run, and a walk later brought home another, pulling the Brewers to 4-3. Yelich finished 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Brice Turang went 3-for-5. Jacob Webb came on and struck out 3 in a clean inning to close it out for Chicago. The Cubs, who have been dealing with injury concerns — pitcher Edward Cabrera recently exited a game with a left hamstring/adductor strain per ESPN — look like a team finding ways to win regardless. Milwaukee, on the other hand, appears to be a team that can dominate for seven innings and still lose, which is a deeply frustrating way to play baseball.