The Cubs walked off the Brewers in the 15th inning after a long, cold, rainy night at Wrigley. Burch Smith came out for his fourth inning of relief, mixing curves, fastballs, and a poorly timed changeup that got crushed for the game-winning homer. Cube’s batter was ready for it, didn’t miss, and as he rounded third, he signaled with a finger in the air. That was the third walk-off for the Cubs in five games.
As he came down the line, he tossed his helmet high into the air and warned teammates to watch out. Celebrations were toned down with no Gatorade splashes due to the cold, but there was still the traditional shirt ripping and some laughs when it seemed to hurt his neck—maybe from a necklace or stray hair. The best moment came when the hitter, after hugging everyone, locked eyes with Tyler Chatwood, who had thrown four shutout innings in relief, and gave him a genuine “good job.” A quick pitcher-catcher handshake drove it home.
To finish, he got a hug from Kyle Schwarber, then dropped a stealthy, stylish bat flip after the homer—no look, full spin. Confident and clean.