Pinch-hitter Ryan Waldschmidt launched a two-run, walk-off home run with two outs in the ninth inning Tuesday night, capping a four-run rally that lifted the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Chase Field.
The dramatic finish began when Tim Tawa drew a one-out walk against Jacob Webb (6-4). Pinch-runner Jose Fernandez swiped second with two down, setting the stage for Waldschmidt, who deposited a 2-1 hanging slider 408 feet into the left-field stands.
The win marked Arizona’s 40th comeback victory of the season, matching the Cubs for the major-league lead. Waldschmidt, a rookie, also authored a two-run, ninth-inning walk-off against the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 7.
Chicago had dominated recently, stringing together 30 consecutive runs and 23 straight scoreless innings since trailing Seattle 2-0 early in a 19-2 win on Sunday. That streak ended in the eighth inning when the Diamondbacks plated three runs.
The rally started chaotically: Daniel Palencia hit Jordan Lawlar in the helmet with a 98 mph fastball, forcing Lawlar from the game. Jorge Barrosa replaced him, and Lars Nootbaar followed with a walk. Gabriel Moreno then chopped a check-swing double off the first-base bag to drive in Barrosa, and Geraldo Perdomo singled to center to score two more, cutting the deficit to 4-3. Webb escaped further damage by inducing a groundout from Max Kepler.
Arizona’s Justin Martinez (1-0) earned his first major-league win, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning during just his third big-league appearance.
Chicago had built a 4-0 lead behind Ian Happ’s three-run homer off Brandon Pfaadt in the fourth—Happ’s third long ball in five games. Cubs starter Clay Holmes was brilliant, allowing only two singles over seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts and two walks before exiting with the four-run cushion.
Seiya Suzuki paced the Cubs’ offense with two hits and two runs scored, while Michael Busch added two hits and an RBI. Chicago maintained a three-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies for the top National League wild-card spot, while Arizona sits one game behind the San Diego Padres for the third and final wild-card position.
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