Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (9/24/26): Cubs 2, Marlins 1 – PCA Joins 40/40 Club, Cubs Clinch Postseason

After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, the Cubs finally clinched a playoff berth with a victory over the Marlins Thursday afternoon. The pitching was outstanding yet again and this time two runs were enough for the home team to prevail.

Pete Crow-Armstrong thrilled the crowd at Wrigley Field when he stole his 40th base of the season in the bottom of the 1st inning. Miami took the lead against Matthew Boyd with an RBI single from Jakob Marsee in the top of the 3rd.

Chicago tied the game when Seiya Suzuki went deep off of reliever Jack Ralston in the bottom of the 5th. Ian Happ then tripled to begin the 6th and scored the go-ahead run on a single by Nico Hoerner for a 2-1 advantage.

Boyd did a great job on Thursday, giving up just one run in seven frames. Daniel Palencia and Ryan Zeferjahn finished the final two innings to win the game and get the North Siders into the playoffs. (Box score)

Key Moment

The Cubs had been struggling all series with runners in scoring position, so the single by Hoerner was huge.

Why the Cubs Won

Great work by the entire pitching staff was the deciding factor in this game.

Stats That Matter

• Boyd did not run out of steam at the end of this outing, unlike some of his previous starts: 7 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 3 K, and 2 BB.
• Crow-Armstrong is just the seventh player in MLB history with a 40/40 season.
• Suzuki got on base three times after a very slow stretch in September.

Bottom Line

The Cubs were not going to miss the playoffs at this point, but it is still a relief for them to officially lock it down before a crazy weather-affected trip to Boston. They can still get the top seed in the Wild Card if they win and get a little bit of assistance. PCA is in the midst of a truly historic season, and everyone should appreciate it because it doesn’t happen very often.

On Deck

Chicago heads east to finish the regular season against the Red Sox with bad weather looming. The series is tentatively scheduled to get underway with a doubleheader Friday afternoon beginning at 12:05pm CT. Clay Holmes and David Peterson are supposed to start, and broadcasts are available on Marquee and The Score.