Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (7/13/25): Cubs 4, Yankees 1 – Shōta Shines in Series Winner

The Cubs and Yankees met in the deciding game of their series at Yankee Stadium to wrap up the first half on Sunday afternoon. Chicago got a second consecutive great starting pitching effort and took the series with a victory.

Michael Busch got his first career start in the leadoff spot and paid immediate dividends by taking starter Will Warren deep for a solo homer to give the North Siders a 1-0 advantage. Shōta Imanaga was very sharp Sunday with his only mistake coming on a solo shot by Giancarlo Stanton in the bottom of the 2nd that tied the score.

Dansby Swanson had the big blow with a go-ahead two-run homer off of reliever Ian Hamilton in the top of the 6th that put the Cubs ahead 3-1. Seiya Suzuki made a terrific baserunning play, coming all the way around from second to score on an infield hit by Pete Crow-Armstrong and increase the margin to 4-1 in the 7th.

Imanaga eventually went seven strong frames, allowing only that single run to the Yankees. Drew Pomeranz and Daniel Palencia handled the final two innings with no drama as the Cubs prevailed 4-1. (Box score)

Key Moment

Chicago had failed to come through on several chances with runners in scoring position before Swanson hit his home run. That one swing turned out to be all they needed to win the game.

Why the Cubs Won

The same formula as Saturday, with terrific starting pitching and just enough offense to get the victory.

Stats That Matter

• Imanaga made it look easy against the best lineup in baseball: 7 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 6 K, 1 BB.
• Swanson had a single in addition to his home run and is heating up.
• Carson Kelly had a couple of hits and looks good right now.

Bottom Line

The Cubs finish the first half 18 games over .500, which is the high mark for the season. The amazing part is they haven’t been playing great the past month and a half. If they get hot, they could really hit some high peaks in the second half. You really can’t say enough about how good the final two starts of this series were.

On Deck

The Cubs have five days off before beginning the second half at home against the Red Sox on Friday at 1:20pm CT. Colin Rea battles Lucas Giolito in a game available on MLB Network and Marquee with a radio feed on 670 The Score.