Starting Lineups:

Oakland Athletics (30-31):

1) Henry Bolte (R) CF

2) Nick Kurtz (L) 1B

3) Shea Langeliers (R) DH

4) Colby Thomas (R) RF

5) Tyler Soderstrom (L) LF

6) Jonah Heim (S) C

7) Zack Gelof (R) 3B

8) Jeff McNeil (L) 2B

9) Alika Williams (R) SS

Starting Pitcher: RHP J.T. Ginn (3-3, 2.87 ERA)

Chicago Cubs (32-30):

1) Pete Crow-Armstrong (L) CF

2) Michael Conforto (L) RF

3) Michael Busch (L) 1B

4) Alex Bregman (R) 3B

5) Ian Happ (S) LF

6) Nico Hoerner (R) 2B

7) Moisés Ballesteros (L) C

8) Pedro Ramírez (S) DH

9) Dansby Swanson (R) SS

Starting Pitcher: LHP Shota Imanaga (4-6, 4.37 ERA)

Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL — In the final game of a 3-game series, the Cubs walked off the A’s 7-6 thanks to a miraculous ninth-inning comeback. The Cubs scored 4 runs in the ninth inning to erase a 3-run deficit.

The A’s would get on the board first in the top of the fourth inning.

Shea Langeliers found a pitch he liked and parked it into the right-center field seats to put the Athletics up, 1-0.

The A’s would score again in the top of the sixth inning.

Alika Williams worked a one-out walk in the top of the sixth inning. One batter later, Henry Bolte laced an RBI double to left-center field to put the A’s up, 2-0. Two batters later, Langeliers would hit a two-run inside-the-park home run on a ball PCA lost in the lights, scoring himself and Bolte to put the A’s up 4-0.

The Cubs finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth, thanks to Pete Crow-Armstrong, who launched a ball off the right field scoreboard, to cut into the lead 4-1. Crow-Armstrong hit his 50th career home run.

The A’s would score two runs the following inning, the top of the seventh, thanks to back-to-back home runs.

Tyler Soderstrom cranked a homer to left-center field to put the A’s up 5-1, and one batter later, Jonah Heim hit a homer to the same spot in left-center field to put the A’s up 6-1.

The Cubbies would respond in the bottom of the seventh with a two-run shot.

After Alex Bregman led off the bottom of the seventh with a line drive double to left field, one batter later, Ian Happ smoked a ball to deep right field to cut into the lead, 6-3.

The Cubs tried to come back in the bottom of the ninth inning, and did just that – walking it off.

Michael Busch led off the bottom of the ninth with a double to left field. Two batters later, Happ would notch an RBI double to right-center field to cut into the lead 6-4.

Moises Ballesteros would plate another run with a sharply hit ground ball that ate up third baseman Gelof and would score Happ, making it 6-5. Seiya Suzuki would pinch hit and deliver a single through the left side of the infield to put two on, with two away. One hitter later, Dansby Swanson would tie the game with an RBI single up the middle to tie the game at 6 apiece. Crow-Armstrong would finish the ninth-inning rally with an RBI walk-off base hit to send the A’s packing.

Shota Imanaga – photo courtesy of MLBTradeRumors.com

The Good: Chicago’s ninth-inning comeback was something to behold — the Cubs needed 3 runs down 6-3 and got them, and best yet, the majority of the 4 runs came with two outs. The Cubs rallied, desperately needed a win, and got one. It’s also worth noting former Cub’s first baseman Anthony Rizzo (my favorite Cub and World Series Champion) was in attendance with his Murphy’s Bleachers shirt, watching the Cubs come from behind to win.

The Bad/The Ugly: Pete Crow-Armstrong lost a fly ball in the lights of Wrigley Field that led to a two-run inside-the-park homer hit by Shea Langeliers. Although not entirely PCA’s fault, it’s still a frustrating mistake by the Cubs, but it was erased by PCA’s ninth-inning heroics.

-Matt Koper

Founder of Koper’s Korner