Watch: Nico Hoerner Makes Two Incredible Plays to Keep Cubs Close
Many will point to Alex Bregman‘s game-tying homer in the 8th or Dansby Swanson‘s game-winning dinger in the 9th, but it was Nico Hoerner‘s defense in the bottom of the 7th that kept the Cubs within striking range. Andy Pages led off, slicing a Ryan Rolison fastball into right that scooted past Seiya Suzuki when he took a bad angle. Pages never hesitated and was digging for third the whole way, but a perfect relay from Hoerner nailed him at third.
That would have been a huge run for the Dodgers, who were up 4-3 at the time. Nearly anything would have scored Pages, particularly a deflected grounder to first that required three defenders to knock it down and get the out. Hyeseong Kim topspun a Rolison curve to first, right at a sprawling Michael Busch. The ball kicked off the heel of Busch’s mitt and should have landed in the grass for a single.
Well, had the game’s best second baseman not been backing up the play.
Hoerner leaped into the air, barehanding the ball to eliminate the need for a transfer, then landed like a cat jumping all nimbly-bimbly from limb to limb. He landed, cocked, and zipped another perfect relay to Rolison, who had busted his ass to make it to the back in time. You could watch a lifetime of baseball and never witness this kind of balletic maneuver.
If anyone other than Hoerner is playing second, the Cubs are down 5-3 with no outs and a man on first.
Nico Hoerner incredible defense on back-to-back plays pic.twitter.com/bbJrcchmXm
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 25, 2026
I don’t know that the Cubs will author a better, more complete win than this for the rest of the season. Sure, some will gripe about the 13 strikeouts, but what about the 11 hits. Six of those knocks — and six of the Ks — came from the newest iteration of the Killer Bs, with Busch, Bregman, and Moisés Ballesteros. The latter is now batting .400 with a 1.098 OPS as he builds his Rookie of the Year case.
Jameson Taillon kept the Dodgers within striking distance after another early homer, then Rolison provided three innings of scoreless relief. Corbin Martin closed the game with a 1-2-3 frame, and that was that. This was the fourth game in a row and the eighth time during their 10-game winning streak that they have prevailed after being behind or tied. Many have tried to minimize their hot play because they’ve been beating sub-.500 teams, but you can’t write the Dodgers off as easily.
It’s just one game, sure, but it’s the latest in a series of victories that show the Cubs have what it takes to compete in a very meaningful way. Now just think of what they can do when they get their top four relievers back.
