NEWSLETTER
In a game where a rookie pitching prospect makes the best start of his career, a key set-up man has a bounceback performance after a rough start to his season, and a formerly dominant reliever toiling away in Triple-A comes back up and shuts down his opponents for not one but TWO extra innings for the win, it is difficult to stand out. But Nico Hoerner did just that tonight.
I don’t think it’s a stretch to say Hoerner won that game for the Cubs with sheer will. It was an incredible performance, in all the vintage Nico Hoerner ways – speed, instinct, and contact.
Let me set the stage.
When Nico Hoerner stepped up to the plate in the ninth inning, the Cubs were down a run, with nobody on base, just two outs away from an L. But Hoerner smacked a 100.7 MPH exit velocity single into right field to keep the line moving, eventually advancing to second base on Mike Tauchman’s single.
And that is when his first amazing moment of the night happened: Diamondbacks pitcher Kevin Ginkel uncorked a wild pitch, and Nico Hoerner saw it immediately. He turned on the burners, rounded third, and slid in safely at home to tie the game.
It. Was. Electric.
Like I said, the instincts and athleticism (and, let’s be honest, guts) to go for home there is all top of the line. Really, really great stuff. But Nico’s night wasn’t over yet.
After a tense 9th and 10th inning, Nico Hoerner was up to bat again. Only this time, the Cubs had loaded the bases with nobody out. It was at that point, after a five-pitch at bat forced him to two-strikes, Nico Hoerner took a sky-high 95.1 MPH fastball right back into right field for the go-ahead (and eventually game-winning) RBI single.
Who else but Nico Hoerner to give us the lead? pic.twitter.com/p6ZBNrHTnj
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 16, 2024
Because of his contact skills, Nico Hoerner is exactly the guy you’d want up in that spot. But even still … I don’t have ANY idea how he managed to get enough wood on this one to muscle it out of the infield. This pitch was SO high. And, again, over 95 MPH!
But he did it, and Keegan Thompson shut the Diamondbacks down for the Cubs 10th win of the season. What a beautiful way to start the week. Go Nico. Go Cubs. YES. That felt good.
