Arozarena's Walk-Off Blast Steals Game From Cubs in 9th
Randy Arozarena hit two home runs and drove in three, including a walk-off two-run shot in the ninth that turned a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 Seattle win. The win probability swung from 8% to 100% on a single swing of the bat.
Chicago looked like it had this one locked up. After Seattle grabbed an early lead on Arozarena's 416-foot solo shot to center in the first, the Cubs clawed back in the fifth — a sacrifice fly from Alcántara tied it, then a fielder's choice grounder pushed Weston Wilson home to put Seattle back in front at 2-1. Then the sixth inning happened, and it happened fast. Bregman went deep to center at 415 feet to tie it, Busch followed with a 408-foot shot of his own to put Chicago ahead, and Taylor's ground rule double scored Hoerner to make it 4-2. Three runs, three consecutive hits, and suddenly the Cubs had all the answers.
On the mound, David Peterson was the story Chicago wanted to tell. He went 6.0 innings, allowing just 4 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out 8. That's a quality start by any measure, and the Cubs' bullpen held the line — Trent Thornton worked 1.1 innings without allowing a run. Seattle's Kade Anderson was shakier, giving up 5 hits and 3 earned runs in 5.2 innings before exiting. Seranthony Dominguez was sharp in relief, striking out all three batters he faced across a scoreless inning. The pitching matchup, on paper, appeared to favor Chicago heading into the late innings.
But baseball doesn't care about paper. With Seattle down to their final three outs and the Cubs holding a 4-2 lead, Leo Rivas singled to right to score Wilson and make it 4-3. That set the stage for Arozarena, who had already done his damage in the first. He did it again — a 404-foot home run to center, Rivas scoring ahead of him, and just like that the scoreboard read CHC 4, SEA 5. The win probability swung from 8% to 100% on that one swing. Arozarena finished 3-for-4 with 2 home runs, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored. The story of the night was a player who refused to let his team lose, delivering the same answer in the ninth that he gave in the first — except this time, it ended the game.