Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (7/24/26): Cubs 3, Pirates 2 F/10 – Swanson Single Leads to Extras W

The Cubs and Pirates began their series at PNC Park on Friday night with an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel. Each team could only produce a single run in the first nine frames, but the road side scratched out a couple in the top of the 10th inning and held on to win.

Starting pitchers Matthew Boyd and Jared Jones were very stingy early, and neither side could dent the scoreboard. Pittsburgh changed that in the bottom of the 5th, taking the lead on an RBI infield single by catcher Henry Davis. Chicago’s lefty hurler then did a Houdini act, retiring the next three hitters to strand the bases loaded and keep his team down just 1-0.

The North Siders evened up the score when Pete Crow-Armstrong homered off of Jones in the top of the 6th. That’s where things remained into extra innings, despite a couple of excellent chances for the Bucs.

The Cubs rallied against Yohan Ramirez in the top of the 10th, beginning with a go-ahead RBI single from Dansby Swanson and then an insurance run came in on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Seiya Suzuki. The Pirates scored their free runner on a Nick Gonzales grounder in the bottom of the frame, but Gavin Hollowell retired all three batters he faced to save the 3-2 victory. (Box score)

Key Moment

Gonzales lifted a high fly ball to left field against Boyd with runners on first and third and one out in the bottom of the 7th. Davis attempted to tag from third, and Ian Happ fired home to nail him easily at the plate for an inning-ending double play.

Why the Cubs Won

A terrific job by the pitching staff to keep the Pirates from scoring and giving their team just enough time to scratch out the winning runs.

Stats That Matter

• Boyd is really starting to feel it on the mound: 7 IP, 1 R, 7 H, 4 K, and 3 BB.
• PCA had the only two extra-base hits for Chicago with a double in addition to the homer.

Bottom Line

That was a big win for the Cubs with a couple of excellent starters looming for Pittsburgh the rest of the weekend. The bullpen did nice work to keep a pretty good lineup in check. Any time Chicago can win without the offense leading the way is a bonus.

On Deck

Game two of the series is Saturday night at 5:40pm CT. Shōta Imanaga battles Paul Skenes in a matchup televised on Marquee with a radio feed on The Score.