The Cubs opened the Padres series with another late-game answer, erasing a 2-0 deficit and winning it in the bottom of the ninth when Seiya Suzuki drove a ball to left that dropped near the ivy and brought home Pete Crow-Armstrong.
The chart below uses an article-style win probability storyline: San Diego grabbed the early leverage, Chicago pulled even in the fifth, and the ninth-inning traffic flipped Wrigley from tense to volcanic before Suzuki ended it.
Note: This is a visual recap model, not an official Statcast/ESPN probability export. It is built from the scoring sequence and ninth-inning leverage points.
Seiya Suzuki
Designated hitter • Game-ending force
Ian Happ
Left field • Quiet box score, loud context
| Moment | What Happened | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Swanson starts it | Dansby Swanson reached with a single to open the bottom of the ninth. | Cubs immediately put the winning run in motion. |
| PCA follows | Pete Crow-Armstrong singled, continuing the rally and raising the pressure. | The Padres had to turn to Mason Miller. |
| Bregman loads it | Alex Bregman singled to center, loading the bases with nobody out. | Wrigley reached full tension. |
| Temporary heartbreak | Michael Busch flew to left and Swanson was thrown out at home. | The rally nearly stalled. |
| Seiya finishes | Suzuki drove the ball to left, Bowen could not secure it near the ivy, and PCA scored. | Cubs win, 3-2. |
The Cubs did not dominate every inning. They left chances out there. They watched San Diego stack traffic. They even had the winning run erased at the plate one batter before the ending. But that is what made the finish feel bigger: the moment should have cracked, and instead Suzuki turned it into another Wrigley celebration.
That is the identity forming here. Not perfect. Not always comfortable. But dangerous late — and increasingly convinced that one more baserunner, one more swing, and one more roar can flip the whole night.