Cubs Win Regular-Season Finale At Wrigley With Denorfia's Walk-Off Homer
CHICAGO (AP) -- Chris Denorfia hit a pinch-hit home run leading off the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Chicago Cubs a 1-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.
Denorfia hit the first pitch from reliever Miguel Almonte (0-2) into the left-field bleacher for the Cubs' major league-leading 13th walk-off victory of the season. It was Denorfia's third homer of the season.
Fernando Rodney (2-0) pitched a scoreless top of the 11th to get the win.
The homer ended a pitcher's duel that was a makeup of a May 30 rainout. Both teams combined for eight hits.
Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks allowed just two hits in six scoreless innings. He walked two and tied a career high with nine strikeouts. He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the sixth after throwing 90 pitches.
Royals starter Yordano Ventura was perfect through the first five innings, although Kris Bryant hit a drive to straight away center field in the first inning that Lorenzo Cain caught against the ivy reaching up.
The Cubs finally broke through when Jorge Soler led off the sixth with a base hit to center field. Ventura, though, retired the next three batters to end the inning.
The first two Chicago batters reached in the seventh -- on a walk and an infield single, but Ventura got Tommy LaStella to ground into a double play and struck out Starlin Castro to end the threat.
Ventura allowed just two hits in seven scoreless innings.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Royals: RHP Chris Young is expected to rejoin the team by Friday following the death of his father on Saturday. Young threw five innings of no-hit ball on Sunday to get the win against Cleveland.
Cubs: 1B Anthony Rizzo, who had played in 154 of the team's 155 games before Monday, was given the night off. Manager Joe Maddon said he saw Rizzo laboring and looking fatigued on Sunday.
UP NEXT
Royals: They are staying in Chicago and will open a three-game series with the White Sox on Tuesday. RHP Johnny Cueto (10-12, 3.45 ERA) goes in the opener against Chicago RHP Jeff Samardzija (10-13, 5.04).
Cubs: They head out for a six-game road trip to conclude the regular-season schedule. RHP Dan Haren (9-9, 3.83 ERA) starts the opener of a three-game series at Cincinnati on Tuesday against Reds RHP Josh Smith (0-2, 7.23).
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