Heyward Hits Walk-Off Grand Slam In 9th, Cubs Beat Phillies 7-5
CHICAGO (AP) — The fans were already roaring when Jason Heyward stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
They just about came unglued when he delivered in the grandest fashion.
Heyward hit a game-ending grand slam off Adam Morgan to give the Chicago Cubs a 7-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night.
Heyward's drive sent the Cubs to their eighth win in 10 games, and it came after Philadelphia's Dylan Cozens hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer against closer Brandon Morrow in the top half.
Kyle Schwarber started the winning rally with a leadoff walk against Seranthony Dominguez and advanced to second on an errant pickoff throw by catcher Jorge Alfaro. Albert Almora singled with one out, putting runners on first and third.
Morgan (0-2) came in and walked pinch-hitter Ian Happ to load the bases before Ben Zobrist forced a runner at home with a tapper to the mound. Heyward took two balls and let a fastball go by for a strike. He fouled off another one to even the count before launching a belt-high 97 mph pitch about a third of the way up the bleachers in right-center.
As he crossed home plate, teammates mobbed him.
"I was trying to keep it simple, one pitch at a time, try to make adjustments on the fly and that's easier said than done," he said. "I got a pitch to hit there and didn't miss it."
The grand slam was the third of his career and first since he knocked one out Sept. 30, 2015, for St. Louis at Pittsburgh. It was also the first extra-base hit against a lefty this season for Heyward, who previously had five singles in 36 at-bats.
"With something like this, hopefully it really generates some confidence," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.
Morgan, meanwhile, blamed himself for making a bad pitch. He wanted to throw it down and away.
"I had thrown two pretty good fastballs, so I felt confident throwing a fastball. I tried to do too much with it," he said.
Cory Mazzoni (1-0) got two outs in the ninth. Anthony Rizzo homered against Aaron Nola, and Chicago won after blowing a 3-0 lead.
Philadelphia's Aaron Altherr greeted Steve Cishek with a tying, three-run homer in the sixth after Jose Quintana dominated for Chicago, but the Phillies lost for the fourth time in five games.
Quintana gave up two runs and three hits in 5 2/3 innings. The veteran left-hander struck out 10 and walked two.
He threw 91 pitches and left to a nice ovation with a 3-0 lead after Carlos Santana singled to put runners on first and second.
Nola went six innings, allowing three runs and four hits.
NO ORDINARY JOE
Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath received a warm welcome at Wrigley Field.
The New York Jets great got a Namath 12 jersey from fellow Pennsylvania product Maddon and threw out the first pitch.
Namath was in town because someone won a trip to Wrigley and a chance to meet him through Maddon's charity. The two met when Maddon managed the Tampa Bay Rays and have stayed in touch.
Years before he guaranteed a 1969 Super Bowl victory for the Jets, Namath was offered a contract by the Cubs in 1961. Broadway Joe went on to star at Alabama because his mom wanted him to go to college, instead, before landing his biggest role.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Phillies: LF Nick Williams (sore left wrist) left in the fifth and was replaced by Cozens. ... Manager Gabe Kapler said "things are trending in the right direction" for RHP Jerad Eickhoff (strained right lat) but would not get into specifics. Eickhoff has been sidelined since late last season and was being evaluated in Philadelphia.
Cubs: Haven't ruled out a trip to the disabled list for Addison Russell (bruised left middle finger), though Maddon said the shortstop "felt better than he thought he would" hitting in the cage. Russell was out of the lineup for the second straight game since he was injured batting against the New York Mets on Sunday. ... Maddon also said RHP Carl Edwards Jr. (right shoulder inflammation) is pain-free. He has been on the DL since May 30.
UP NEXT
Phillies: Though he struggled in a loss at San Francisco last week, RHP Nick Pivetta (4-4, 3.48 ERA) has a 1.93 ERA in his past five starts.
Cubs: RHP Tyler Chatwood (3-4, 4.02) — the major league leader with 49 walks — goes for his first win since May 11. He is 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in his past four starts.
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