Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (9/1/25): Cubs 7, Braves 6 F/10 – Kelly Plays Hero Twice in Extras Win
The Cubs and Braves got their series underway on a sunny Labor Day afternoon at Wrigley Field. Chicago fell into a big hole early in the game before battling out of it and eventually winning in extra innings thanks to the heroics of their catcher.
Atlanta took a 1st-inning lead when Ozzie Albies continued his fine tradition of destroying Cubs pitching with an RBI single against Colin Rea. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker miscommunicated on a high fly ball off the bat of Michael Harris II, and it dropped in between them for a two-run double that made it 3-0 in the 3rd.
Ian Happ got the North Siders on the board when he had a solo homer against Spencer Strider in the 4th. The Braves responded with three runs off of reliever Taylor Rogers in the following frame, including a second two-run double by Harris, to build a commanding 6-1 advantage.
Chicago started chipping away at the deficit beginning with a run-scoring double by Matt Shaw in the bottom of the 5th. Dansby Swanson doubled in a pair in the 6th and it was suddenly just 6-4.
Carson Kelly had the most dramatic blow when he hit a two-run homer off of Pierce Johnson to even the score 6-6 in the bottom of the 8th. The Cubs backstop then finished the game with a walk-off single against former Cardinal John Brebbia for a 7-6 win in the 10th inning. (Box score)
Key Moment
Andrew Kittredge struck out Jake Fraley and Marcell Ozuna in the top of the 10th to strand the Braves’ go-ahead run on third base.
Why the Cubs Won
They kept battling back after falling behind early and got some clutch hits late. Most of the arms out of the bullpen did a good job to keep their team in the game long enough to win.
Stats That Matter
- Not a great performance for Rea, but his defense could have helped him out more: 4 IP, 3 R, 5 H, 3 K, 3 BB.
- Kelly has been ice-cold lately, so it was nice to see him with two excellent swings of the bat.
- Happ is in one of his patented hot streaks with three more hits.
- Aaron Civale pitched three scoreless innings in his Cubs debut.
Bottom Line
It was nice to see Chicago fight back and rally from a deficit like they were doing for much of the first half of 2025. The offense is starting to show signs of life with a lot of the action coming from the bottom of the lineup. The Cubs’ division chances got a boost with the Brewers losing, but they are going to have to really turn it on if they want to make it a race.
On Deck
Game two of the series is Tuesday night at 6:40pm CT. Birthday boy Shōta Imanaga takes on lefty Joey Wentz in a matchup available on Marquee with a radio feed on 670 The Score.
