Pirates Beat Cubs 10-5

BOXSCORE

*Chicago, April 18, 2024* – In a stunning turn of events, the 1-4 Pittsburgh Pirates mounted an offensive onslaught to defeat the Chicago Cubs 10-5 in a thrilling game at Wrigley Field.

The game started with the Cubs taking an early lead in the first inning, scoring seven runs off Pirates pitcher Danny Leonard. The Cubs' Mark Hagerty, Elston Howard, and Rickey Henderson led the charge with key hits and walks, putting the Pirates on the back foot right from the start.

Cubs manager Tony La Russa commented on the strong start, saying, "Our guys came out swinging today. It was a great team effort to put up those runs early in the game."

However, the Pirates refused to back down. In the top of the second inning, they exploded for six runs, sparked by Gates Brown's two-run homer and George Sisler's RBI double. Brown's home run injected new life into the Pirates, shifting the momentum in their favor.

"We never lost belief in ourselves," said Brown after the game. "We knew we had the firepower to claw our way back into the game, and that's exactly what we did."

The Cubs managed to add a few more runs in the third and fourth innings, including a solo home run by Rickey Henderson. However, the Pirates' pitching tightened up, with Greg Maddux and Schoolboy Rowe combining to shut down the Cubs' offense for the rest of the game.

"We made some adjustments on the mound and focused on hitting our spots," Maddux explained. "Once we settled in, we knew we could keep them off the scoreboard and give our hitters a chance to chip away at the lead."

And chip away they did. The Pirates scored one run in the sixth inning and added two more in the ninth, capped off by a two-RBI double from Tony Conigliaro. Their relentless offensive effort, combined with solid pitching down the stretch, secured the remarkable comeback victory.

Manager Bill McKechnie praised his team's resilience, saying, "This game showed the character of our ballclub. We never gave up, and it paid off in the end."