CHICAGO – Seiya Suzuki drove three runs for the RBI in her first major league title and the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 9-0 on Saturday for a Test victory in which five batsmen hit the pitch and the benches were cleared.
The teams exchanged words but no punches were made in the eighth match when Andrew McCachchen was hit by a pitch from Cubes reliever Keegan Thompson, who was disqualified for the first time in his career.
As McCachchen slowly made his way to the first base, looking at Thompson, players from both bullpen ran towards the field.
Three cubs are hit by the pitch. Ian Hap was knocked out on a pitch by Trevor Gott and went out as a pinch-runner in the seventh. Brandon Woodruff hit Wilson Conteras in the fourth and Nick Madrigal in the first. Conteras was also hit on the pitch in Thursday’s opening match of the season.
Ethan Roberts made his ninth major league debut for Chicago and hit Christian Yelich with a pitch.
Suzuki, a Japanese outfielder who signed a $ 85 million, five-year deal to acquire the Cubs’ biggest offseason acquisition, had a sacrifice fly, a base-loaded walk and a single. Hap and Frank Swindel added two hits each for the Cubs, who started the season 2-0 for the first time since 2016.
Justin Steele (1-0) made five outs in five scoreless innings for the rebuilding Cubs. The left-hander was 4-4 with a 4.26 ERA in his first major league season in 2021.
Woodruff (0-1) fought for the current NL Central champions. The right-hander allowed seven runs, six hits and three walks, also hitting two strikes in 3 2/3 innings for his shortest outing against the Cubs since August 12.
Last season, Woodruff averaged 43 walks in 179 1/3 innings, finishing 9-10 with a career-low 2.56 ERA.
Due to the rain on Friday, both the starting pitchers were pushed back one day.
Woodruff made his start with a leadoff walk, hitting a batter and two more walks to bring up a run. After one more run on a grounder, Suzuki’s ball fly makes it 3-0.
Suzuki also scored a single in the third and Jose Urena’s base-loaded walk in the fourth. In his major league debut on Thursday, Suzuki singled for his first major league hit.
Patrick Wisdom hit a two-run infield single in the sixth.
Instructor’s room
Cubs: SS Andrelton Simmons (right shoulder pain) continues his throwing activities in Arizona. … LHP Wade Miley (left elbow inflammation) was expected to play a light catch today. … RHP Alec Mills (Low Back Strain) will be launching another bullpen this weekend. All three are eligible to close IL April 14 ৷
Coming next
RHP Freddie Peralta (10-5, 2.81 ERA) is set to start for the Brewers against the Cubs and RHP Marcus Strowman in Sunday’s series final. Strowman was 10-13 with a 3.02 ERA with the Mets last season.