If you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past 24 hours, then you may have missed Wednesday's fireworks between the Chicago Cubs and White Sox.
In the bottom of the ninth, on a 1-2 count, Cubs designated hitter Christopher Morel hit a walk-off three-run homer to send fans home happy.
And while Morel was the hero of the night due to his game-winning blast, relief pitcher Michael Fulmer’s performance shouldn't go unnoticed. One can even argue that his performance is what saved the game for the Cubs.
In the top of the eighth inning, Jose Cuas entered the game to help keep the Cubs' deficit at two. After allowing a hit and two walks, Cuas exited without recording an out and was replaced by Fulmer.
Facing a bases-loaded jam, Fulmer proceeded to strike out White Sox’ star Luis Robert Jr. and Yoan Moncada on three pitches each before nearly completing an immaculate outing, though he eventually struck out Andrew Vaughn on five pitches.
Fulmer’s dominant outing wasn’t the first time this season he’s escaped a bases-loaded jam. On Aug. 6 against the juggernaut Atlanta Braves, the righty pitched his way out of trouble by striking out Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley. The Cubs proceeded to win that game 6-4 and take two of three for a series victory against the baseball's best team.
After hitting a bit of a rough patch in the first half of the season, Fulmer has been an impressive and reliable arm out of the Cubs’ bullpen. In his last 12 outings, he has three wins and three holds with a 2.19 ERA, .205 opponents' batting average, and 19 strikeouts against just five walks.
In case you missed it, the guys over at Cubs On Tap discussed Fulmer’s dominance as of late and his ability to come in and handle business in critical situations.
The Cubs have an off day on Thursday but return to action Friday when they kick off a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals at Wrigley Field. If the Cubs are going to have any chance of competing for the NL Central division crown, they’re going to need guys like Fulmer firing on all cylinders. And right now, he looks pretty good.
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