Lee's Three-Run Blast Breaks Chicago, Detroit Wins 5-1
Hao-Yu Lee hit a 389-foot three-run homer in the fourth inning that swung Chicago's win probability from 60% to 25% in a single swing. Detroit walked out of Chicago with a 5-1 victory, powered by three home runs and a dominant pitching effort from Keider Montero.
Chicago looked like it had the early edge. Seiya Suzuki opened the scoring with a 397-foot shot to left center in the first inning, and the Cubs held a 1-0 lead heading into the second. It didn't last. Spencer Torkelson answered immediately with a 391-foot homer of his own to left center, knotting the game at one. The story of the night was what happened next — two teams locked at one, and Detroit waiting for the right moment to detonate.
That moment came in the fourth. With Riley Greene and Torkelson on base, Hao-Yu Lee drove a 389-foot shot to center that scored both runners and flipped the game entirely. The win probability swung from 60% to 25% on that single play, and Chicago never recovered. Lee finished 1-for-4 with a home run, 3 RBI, and a run scored. Torkelson, who crossed the plate twice on that swing alone, ended the night 2-for-3 with a homer, an RBI, and 3 runs scored — the kind of line that looks like a one-man wrecking crew through the middle of a box score. Zach McKinstry added a ninth-inning insurance run with a double to center that scored Torkelson again, closing it at 5-1.
Keider Montero was the engine that kept Detroit's lead intact. He went 5.1 innings, allowed just 3 hits and 1 earned run, walked nobody, and struck out 8. That's a performance that appears to have given Detroit's bullpen a genuine night off — Drew Anderson came on and handled 1.0 inning with 2 strikeouts and no damage. On the other side, Colin Rea gave up 6 hits and 4 earned runs across 5.0 innings, which looks like the kind of outing that makes a 5-1 final feel closer than it actually was. Ian Happ went 2-for-3 and was Chicago's most consistent bat, but the Cubs managed just one run on the night, and that came in the very first inning. Detroit's pitching made sure that was all they'd get.