Dansby Swanson's clutch homer and Matthew Boyd's dominant pitching led the Cubs to a 2-1 win over the Pirates on June 14, 2025. See how the victory kept them in first!
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It was the kind of game that wins divisions. A tense, low-scoring affair at the Friendly Confines where every pitch mattered. With the score knotted at one in the bottom of the sixth, Dansby Swanson stepped to the plate and delivered the thunder, launching a go-ahead solo home run that proved to be the difference in a crucial 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Matthew Boyd has been simply untouchable at home, improving to 6-0 with a sparkling 2.25 ERA in six starts at Wrigley Field this season.
While Swanson provided the game-winning heroics, Saturday's victory was built on the foundation of another masterful performance by Matthew Boyd. After surrendering a first-inning solo shot to old foe Andrew McCutchen (his 18th career homer at Wrigley), Boyd was simply untouchable. He proceeded to retire 14 consecutive Pirates, finishing his day with six dominant innings of one-hit ball. Boyd's command and composure have made him the Cubs' undisputed ace at home, a reliable force the team can count on every fifth day at Clark and Addison.
For five innings, runs were a precious commodity. The Cubs manufactured their first run in classic fashion, with Nico Hoerner singling, stealing second, and scoring on an Ian Happ sac fly. But with the game tied 1-1 in the sixth, the moment called for power. Dansby Swanson answered, crushing an 85.5 mph slider from Ryan Borucki 377 feet into the left-center field bleachers. The 104.1 mph rocket was Swanson's 13th of the year and served as a reminder of the clutch power that makes this lineup so dangerous.
With a one-run lead, the game was turned over to the bullpen, and they were flawless. The trio of Ryan Pressly, Drew Pomeranz, and Daniel Palencia slammed the door shut. The biggest test came in the seventh when the Pirates put two runners on, but a clutch groundball double play and a strikeout ended the threat. Palencia finished the job with a clean ninth, securing his sixth save and locking down a hard-fought win.
This win was more than just another notch in the standings; it improved the Cubs to 6-6 over a grueling 13-game stretch, keeping them firmly in first place in the NL Central. But the front office knows that standing still is falling behind. President Jed Hoyer confirmed the team is aggressively scouting the trade market for starting pitching help. With names like Chris Sale being floated, it's clear the Cubs are looking to make a significant splash to solidify their rotation for a deep postseason run.
Even as Hoyer scours the league for external help, the internal pipeline continues to flow. Catcher Moises Ballesteros recently got the call to the bigs at just 21, while Jonathon Long is tearing it up in Triple-A. With Cristian Hernandez refining his approach in High-A and pitcher Will Sanders earning a promotion to Triple-A, the Cubs' farm system remains a key asset, providing both potential trade chips and future homegrown stars.
As the Cubs head into a well-deserved off day on Monday, they do so from the top of the division. This gritty win against the Pirates was a microcosm of their season so far: solid starting pitching, timely hitting, and a lockdown bullpen. With the trade deadline looming and the front office poised to be aggressive, the message is clear: the Cubs are all-in on 2025, and the best may be yet to come.
