3 Takeaways as Cubs Give Cade Horton his First Win

The Chicago Cubs were able to cling to a tight lead to even up their series against the Mets, and give rookie pitcher Cade Horton his first MLB win in his debut. 

Although the Cubs led the entire game, it was a nail-biter until the last pitch. Chicago used a combination of clutch-hitting and fantastic pitching performances to pull out the victory and give the Mets just their fourth loss of the year at Citi Field. 

Cade Horton Looked Like a Major League Pitcher

I was skeptical about all the chatter surrounding Horton's mound presence heading into this game. He has some experience in big games, notably the College World Series in 2022, but making your MLB debut on the road, against a hot ball club, in front of 40,000 New York Mets fans seemed like a tough pill to swallow in your first MLB game. 

But Horton confidently handled the moment and looked sharp on the mound. The Cubs wisely utilized an opener, as Brad Keller faced the top of the Mets lineup in the first inning to avoid Horton having to face sluggers Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso in his first big-league inning. The plan worked to perfection as Keller went 1-2-3 against a couple of future Hall of Famers, and Horton got to work with a 2-0 lead in the second inning. 

Aside from one pitch launched into the seats by third baseman Brett Baty, Horton navigated the formidable lineup with relative ease. The 23-year-old completed four innings, struck out five, walked none, and surrendered three earned runs. Horton also threw 77 pitches in the game, and 49 of them were strikes.

With Shota Imanaga out for the rest of the month, Horton looks poised to claim his rotation spot for the time being. His first start could come in Friday's 1:20 contest against the Chicago White Sox. 

Porter Hodge is the Closer Until Further Notice

After catcher Miguel Amaya delivered some much-needed insurance runs with a two-RBI knock in the eighth inning, the Mets roared back with a thunderous home run from Baty (his second of the game).