Cubs outslug D-backs in wild game with 21 combined runs after sixth inning
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Sure! Here's a rewritten version of the article with a smoother narrative flow and tighter phrasing, while keeping all the key facts and quotes:
CHICAGO — Kyle Tucker brought Wrigley Field to its feet in the bottom of the eighth, launching a go-ahead two-run homer that capped one of the wildest games in recent memory. His laser to right cleared the wall easily, part of a furious comeback that saw the Chicago Cubs storm past the Arizona Diamondbacks 13-11 on Friday.
The teams combined for an astonishing 21 runs over the seventh and eighth innings — 11 by the Cubs, 10 by the D-backs — making it the first nine-inning game in MLB history in which both clubs scored 10 or more runs from the seventh inning on, per ESPN Research. Only two other games, both extra-inning affairs, have seen similar chaos.
"That's kind of baseball," Tucker said afterward. "There’s a lot of ups and downs, especially with how many games we play."
The Cubs pulled off a feat matched by only six other teams in the last 125 years: surrendering 10 or more runs in a single inning and still managing to win. They’re also just the fifth team to both allow and score six or more in the same inning. The 16 combined runs in the eighth marked the most ever in an inning at Wrigley Field, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
"If you’ve seen that one, you’ve been around for a while," manager Craig Counsell joked. "It was crazy. We gave up 10 runs in an inning and still won. Just a wild game, but it shows there’s 27 outs — you’ve got to keep playing."
Carson Kelly homered twice, Ian Happ crushed a grand slam, and Seiya Suzuki added a solo shot as the Cubs opened their weekend series in dramatic fashion.
"You’ve seen it with us already — tough losses, bouncing back, winning series," Happ said. "Today was just professional hitters staying locked in and grinding out great at-bats."
Early on, the Cubs seemed in control, leading 7-1 after Happ’s grand slam in a five-run seventh. But the game unraveled quickly in the top of the eighth.
Arizona exploded for 10 runs, flipping the script in stunning fashion. Eugenio Suárez’s grand slam cut it to 7-5, followed by RBI hits from Geraldo Perdomo and Randal Grichuk, who put the D-backs ahead with a two-run double. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. capped the rally with a three-run homer, making it 11-7.
The Wrigley faithful — over 39,000 strong — let the Cubs hear it, but the team wasn’t done. Bryce Jarvis hit Nico Hoerner and walked Pete Crow-Armstrong, setting the stage for Kelly’s second homer of the day, a three-run shot to center. After Happ singled, Tucker crushed his go-ahead blast, and Suzuki followed with a solo homer for good measure.
Arizona, which had won five straight, became just the third team in the last 50 years to lose a game in which they had a 10-run inning.
"You just have to stay locked in," Kelly said. "You never want to give up 10 in an inning, but the key is regrouping and continuing to fight."
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