Willson Contreras Delivers Walk-Off Win to Chicago Cubs in Extra Innings Thriller

The Chicago Cubs picked up a walk-off victory in extra innings after a wild back-and-forth affair at Wrigley.

Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Cubs appeared to be well on their way to securing their fifth straight series win. Marcus Stroman had settled in after a choppy first and stood on the mound through 7.2 innings pitched and no one on. It appeared the Cubs were closing in on a typical 2-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, but the game took a turn for the crazy quickly. 

With two outs in the eighth, Brewers slugger Christian Yelich scalded a single to right field, just the second hit Stroman allowed of the day, and the first in over 25 batters faced. Cubs manager David Ross then went to reliever Rowan Wick to face Brewers shortstop Willy Adames to try and finish up the eighth. 

Things went awry quickly, however, as Wick, who had just a 1.26 ERA since July 10, fell behind Adames 3-1 in the count and promptly served am ill-located fastball that Adames would deposit into the left-center bleachers to give the Brewers a 3-2 lead. 

One run was charged to Stroman, bringing him to two earned runs over 7 2/3 innings with five strikeouts, and 11 groundball outs. It was another great outing for the righty whose ERA now sits at 3.83, the lowest it's been since his first start of the season. 

After a quiet bottom of the eighth and top of the ninth, the Cubs looked to rally against Brewers closer Devin Williams, who hadn't blown a save all season. Williams got Nico Hoerner to ground out to start the inning before Patrick Wisdom stepped to the plate.

The 30-year-old worked a brutally tough 10-pitch at-bat that ended with a walk in hopes of starting a rally. PJ Higgins would follow up with a flyout, followed by a pinch-hitting Rafael Ortega who walked on four pitches to bring up Nick Madrigal with runners on first and second.

The second baseman had struggled much of the year but had been red hot since returning from the injured list, batting .325 and getting on base at a .413 clip since being activated. The 25-year-old fell in the count 0-2 but battled until the sixth pitch when he laced a bloop single into shallow right-center for his third hit of the game. Wisdom scored easily, tying the game at three apiece. 

It was the biggest hit of Madrigal's career as a Cub, and indicative of him returning to form as this was already his fourth multi-hit game in 16 days. When at his best, the former fourth-overall pick is a contact machine that's nearly impossible to strike out, and that's what Chicago has seen since his return. 

Nick Madrigal and Willson Contreras celebrate following a two-run home run / Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

Though the Cubs would load the bases and even knock Williams out of the game at 37 pitches, Happ struck out to end the inning and send the game to extras. Milwaukee quickly re-took the lead on a Mike Brosseau single, but Erich Uelman would enter the game with the bases loaded and stranded all three on a groundout.  

Chicago nearly didn't respond, as with a runner on third with one out, the scorching-hot Franmil Reyes flew out to shallow left field, a ball Happ wasn't likely to tag on, but after Yelich made the catch, he dropped the ball on the transfer allowing Happ to score and knot the game up at four. Though Reyes lost his nine-game hit streak, he did walk earlier and was awarded the RBI on the play. 

The Brewers would score the ghost runner in the top of the 11th as well when Kolten Wong grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Andrew McCutchen, but would again leave runners stranded at first and second, leaving the door open for the Cubs in the bottom of the frame. 

Milwaukee turned to Peter Strezelecki to close the game, but that plan was foiled just two pitches in when Wisdom lined a double off the wall to tie the game at five. Higgins then placed a perfect bunt to move Wisdom to third, and the Brewers then intentionally walked Ortega to bring Madrigal to the plate with one out and runners on the corners. 

Madrigal wasn't able to play hero this time around, however, as he grounded into a fielder's choice that saw Wisdom thrown out at home, potentially injuring his wrist in the process. That brought up Willson Contreras, who had homered earlier in the game off of a Freddy Peralta hanging slider. 

The catcher, of course, has a long-standing beef with Milwaukee. The 30-year-old has been hit by 15 pitches from Brewers pitching in his career, and it's been the catalyst behind multiple brawls in the past.

That likely made it all the more satisfying when the righty lined a pitch to right field, scoring Ortega and securing the 6-5 victory in what might have been the most thrilling game of the year. 

The win was the Cubs' fifth in a row and clinched five straight series victories for Chicago. The Cubs have played much better as of late, holding a 17-10 record since the all-star break, and a 29-27 record since June 17. 

Chicago will go for a sweep of Milwaukee at 1:20, Sunday at Wrigley Field before they welcome the St. Louis Cardinals to town on Monday. Justin Steele will be on the mound for the Cubs while the Brewers send Brandon Woodruff to the bump. 

In other news, starting pitcher Keegan Thompson was placed on the 15-day injured list with back tightness. The righty had struggled in his previous two outings, surrendering nine runs in 5 1/3 innings. Right-handed pitcher Anderson Espinoza was called up from Iowa to take Thompson's roster spot. 

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