Pirates top Cubs 2-1 on June 14 as Paul Skenes dominates and Isiah Kiner-Falefa delivers the game-winning sac fly in a 10-inning Wrigley thriller.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
In a season that's tested the patience of every Pirates fan, Friday night at Wrigley Field was a shot of pure adrenaline. It was tense, it was gritty, and it ended with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Cubs in 10 innings. This wasn't a blowout; it was a classic baseball nail-biter, decided by clutch plays and the kind of pitching performance we're starting to take for granted.
Paul Skenes has allowed just five earned runs over his last 47 1/3 innings, yet has only one win to show for it.
When the game was on the line, Isiah Kiner-Falefa was the man of the hour. His 10th-inning sacrifice fly, scoring Adam Frazier, was the decisive blow, but his impact was felt long before that. Cast your mind back to the fifth inning, when he gunned down Ian Happ at the plate with a perfect throw to keep the game scoreless. It was a complete performance that showcased exactly why the Bucs brought him in: clutch hitting and stellar defense. In a game this tight, those are the plays that make all the difference.
Before the late-game heroics, the stage belonged to Paul Skenes. The rookie phenom was electric once again, carving up the Cubs lineup for five scoreless innings. He scattered four hits and struck out five, battling through 95 pitches. It's becoming the story of the season: Skenes deals, and the offense scrambles to do just enough. His ERA sits at a ridiculous 1.88, but astonishingly, he has just one win over his last seven dominant starts. The bullpen, led by Dennis Santana's win and David Bednar's 10th save, thankfully ensured his masterpiece didn't go to waste this time.
This win feels even bigger when you consider who the Pirates are missing. The injured list still features key arms like Jared Jones and Dauri Moreta, and bats like Joey Bart and Endy Rodriguez. The team's offensive struggles are no secret, and it's a problem the front office is clearly trying to solve from the ground up. Down on the farm, the focus is on creating versatile, team-oriented hitters—like top prospect Griffin, who is seeing time across the diamond—to eventually complement this wave of incredible pitching. Friday's win was a blueprint for how this team *can* win, but it's a tough formula to replicate every night.
This was a win to savor. It was a reminder that even in a tough season, this team has fight, a lights-out bullpen, and a generational arm at the top of the rotation. Now, the challenge is to do it again. With Mike Burrows taking the mound against Matthew Boyd on Saturday, the Pirates have a chance to clinch a series win against a division rival. Let's hope the bats can give him a little more breathing room than they gave Skenes.
