Seiya Suzuki of the Chicago Cubs hits a ground rule double (top) and celebrates after hitting a ground rule double (bottom) during the third inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024, in Pittsburgh.
11:26 JST, August 27, 2024
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Dansby Swanson hit a grand slam to end an eight-run sixth inning, and the Chicago Cubs had eight stolen bases — their most in a game in more than 100 years — en route to an 18-8 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.
Swanson’s slam, off Domingo German, was the third of the shortstop’s nine-year career — and the second this season — and pushed the Cubs’ lead to 9-2. Swanson also hit a bases-loaded home run on April 24 off Houston rookie Spencer Arrighetti.
The Cubs last had eight steals in 1913.
Rookie center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong led the way with three stolen bases as the Cubs won for the seventh time in 10 games, bringing his season total to 26 in 93 games. Crow-Armstrong has been caught just once this year.
Ian Happ added two steals, and Nico Hoerner, Cody Bellinger and Seiya Suzuki each had one. All eight steals came in eight attempts against catcher Yasmani Grandal. Starter Mitch Keller had seven steals in his four innings.
Chicago entered the game eighth in the Major League in stolen bases, with 112.
Miguel Amaya had a career-high four hits and four RBI for the Cubs. His double drove in the first two runs in the big sixth inning to make it 5-2 before Suzuki hit a run-scoring single, Hoerner got a bases-loaded walk from German and Swanson hit his slam.
Amaya is 12-for-18 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in his last five games.
Suzuki also had four of the Cubs’ 21 hits, and Crow-Armstrong added three as Chicago set a season record in runs. Cody Bellinger and Isaac Paredes each had two hits and two RBIs, with Paredes hitting a solo homer in the eighth inning off Brady Feigl to extend the lead to 12-4.
Jameson Taillon (9-8) won for just the second time in seven starts, as he allowed four runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings. He walked none and struck out three.
The Pirates’ Mitch Keller (11-8) was pulled after four innings and 97 pitches, falling to 1-3 with a 5.05 ERA in his last eight starts. Keller allowed three runs and seven hits and two walks after Pittsburgh had won six of its previous eight games.
German scored eight runs in 2 2/3 innings.
The left-handed Feigl relieved German in the seventh inning, making his major league debut 10 years after being signed by Atlanta as an undrafted amateur free agent. The 33-year-old spent the last two seasons pitching in the independent Atlantic League before being signed by the Pirates this year and assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Feigl gave up six runs in 1 2/3 innings. First baseman Rowdy Tellez pitched for the second time in three days, taking over for Feigl and getting the final two outs in the ninth.
Jared Triolo had two hits and two RBIs for the Pirates and Connor Joe hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning against Jack Neely.
