When Jarren Duran hit Adrian Sampson’s first pitch into the shrubbery in center field (to a huge ovation from the throngs of Red Sox fans at Wrigley Field), and later when Sampson gave up a bases-clearing double to Jackie Bradley Jr., I figured, “Welp, not the Cubs’ day.”
And yet, it became so. The Cubs batted around in both the fifth and sixth innings, posting a pair of three-run innings and using a varied offense that included a home run and the lead run scoring on a wild pitch, and held on to defeat the Red Sox 6-5 in the series opener at Wrigley Field.