The Chicago Cubs saved their scoring and drama until the later innings. Aroldis Chapman then capped it in his Cubs’ debut, even in a non-save situation.
Javier Baez hit a tie breaking two-run homer deep into Wrigley Field’s left bleachers in the seventh, Addison Russell added a grand slam in a five-run eighth and the Cubs beat the White Sox 8-1 on Wednesday night.
Jason Hammel (10-5) allowed one run and five hits while striking out seven in seven innings. Hector Rondon pitched a perfect eighth, and Chapman pitched a 1-2-3 ninth — striking out Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia — while hitting speeds of 103 mph.
The sellout crowd of 41,116 buzzed when the hard-throwing lefty entered the game. Afterward, Chapman’s teammates were talking as much about him as the late homers.