This game had a stunning ending in more ways than one.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: Once again, this is a repost of the game recap from this exciting walkoff homer that Michael Busch hit against the Padres. Busch, of course, had a breakout season in 2025 and hopefully will be a 30-homer man for the Cubs for several more seasons.
Busch’s home run was hit just as it started to rain hard at Wrigley Field and lightning was spotted in the distance, prompting the Cubs to create this 2025 giveaway item, the Michael Busch lightning bobblehead:
The base of the bobblehead lights up like lightning if you hit a switch on the bottom. Now, on to the rest of the recap, and an epilogue about Busch after.
New Cubs first baseman Michael Busch can be described in part as just getting his job done. You don’t hear many quotes from him; he just plays pretty good defense and has been hitting reasonably well in his first full MLB season.
That all changed with one swing of the bat, as Busch hit the first walkoff home run of his MLB career (and the Cubs’ first since Christopher Morel last Aug. 16 vs. the White Sox) to lead the Cubs to a thrilling 3-2 win over the Padres.
More on Cubs walkoffs from BCB’s JohnW53:
That was the Cubs’ 750th regular-season walk-off win at Wrigley Field. It was their 952nd at all sites since 1876.
It was their 179th at Wrigley and 193rd overall on a home run.Michael Busch became the 407th different Cub with a walk-off play. Sammy Sosa hit the most, nine. Ron Santo hit six; Alex Gonzalez, Jim Hickman and Billy Williams, five. Busch is the 77th with one.
Let’s rewind to the beginning of this one. It started much like all recent Cubs games: scoreless. Shōta Imanaga continued his early-season brilliance, shutting down the Padres over the first four innings with just one hit and a walk. No Padre got past first base over the first five.
But, as usual, the Cubs offense couldn’t do anything early, either. They had one hit in each of the first three innings but, like their opponents, got no one past first base.
Cody Bellinger, just back from an IL stint, changed that leading off the fourth [VIDEO].
The Cubs, though, could not seem to get anything going even while Imanaga was mowing down Padres hitters. They got two runners on in the sixth — nothing doing.
Imanaga completed seven shutout innings, allowing just four hits and a walk.
Then came the eighth. Imanaga had thrown 95 pitches. Craig Counsell has a choice here: Leave Imanaga in for the longest outing of his MLB career to date, or go to a bullpen that has been… well, let’s be nice and just say “kinda shaky”?
Imanaga was the choice. He allowed a leadoff single to Luis Arraez. No shame in that, lots of pitchers have given up hits to Arraez.
But then Jurickson Profar pulled a ball into the left-field bleachers and the Padres led 2-1.
Imanaga left to a loud ovation. While these were the first runs allowed by a Cubs starter since last Thursday, they still resulted in this (courtesy, as always, BCB’s JohnW53):
The two-run homer off Shōta Imanaga in the eighth inning prevented the Cubs from tying their all-time streak of five consecutive starts without allowing an earned run. They set it April 26-30, 2018. (Earned runs became an official statistic in 1912.) Starters pitched 30 innings in the current streak. They pitched 32⅔ in 2018….
The home run ballooned Imanaga’s ERA to 1.08. That is still the lowest by a Cub in his first seven career starts. Jim St. Vrain’s ERA was 1.33 in 1902.
Before the homer, Imanaga’s ERA was 0.65. Only six Cubs starters ever had a lower ERA in any seven consecutive starts: Jake Arrieta (0.33, 2015), Bill Lee (0.44, 1938), Rick Reuschel (0.53, 1977), Jon Lester (0.54, 2016), Grover Cleveland Alexander (0.58, 1920) and Hippo Vaughn (0.58, 1920)….
Imanaga’s five walks are two fewer than any Cub in his first seven career starts. Ken Raffensberger walked seven in 1940.
A bit more on those walks and low ERA:
Yency Almonte replaced Imanaga, who left to a loud ovation. Almonte allowed a hit, then set down three Padres in order, but ending that threat took this outstanding play by Nico Hoerner [VIDEO].
Then the Cubs set about to erase the deficit in the bottom of the inning.
Mike Tauchman drew a leadoff walk. Can’t say enough about Tauchman and how well he works at-bats. Bellinger advanced him to third with his third hit of the game — welcome back, Belli!
Wrigley Field was LOUD when Morel came to the plate. He tied the game with this sac fly [VIDEO].
So it’s 2-2 going to the ninth. Hector Neris entered to try to preserve the tie, and at this point an annoying little rain shower started to fall, with a bit of lightning in the distance. For once, Neris didn’t walk the first man he faced. He allowed a one-out single and then Ian Happ flashed some glove [VIDEO].
That’s likely a run-scoring double if Happ doesn’t run it down. Neris then issued a walk, but got Jackson Merrill to pop up to Dansby Swanson to end the inning.
As Busch came to bat to lead off the bottom of the ninth, the rain started falling a bit harder. Busch didn’t waste any time ending the game [VIDEO].
Good pitching and defense and timely hitting — can’t ask for more than that. Here are Counsell’s postgame comments [VIDEO].
EPILOGUE: In his second full MLB season, Busch batted .261/.343/.523 with 34 home runs and 90 RBI, posting 4.6 bWAR. He turned himself into a very good defensive first baseman as well. Of the 34 homers, eight were hit in 24 games in September and Busch added four more in eight postseason games.
Busch turned 28 last month and is under team control for four more seasons — and not even arbitration-eligible until 2027. No matter what Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope do for the Dodgers (and neither has played above Double-A yet), this was an outstanding trade by Jed Hoyer.
