Happ’s five – Ian Happ powered the Cubs’ turnaround with five RBIs, including a three-run home run in the seventh, as Chicago snapped a 10-game losing streak with a 10-4 win over the Pirates at PNC Park.
For Ian Happ, the first inning felt like it was setting the tone for his hometown.
At PNC Park on Wednesday. Happ plated two runs with a two-run single and then waited until the seventh to deliver the kind of swing that turns a close game into a memory. The Cubs trailed 4-4 before Happ crushed a three-run home run off Yohan Ramírez (2-2). breaking the tie and igniting a six-run frame that ultimately carried Chicago to a 10-4 victory over the Pirates.
Pinch-hitter Michael Conforto added a two-run homer in the seventh, and Michael Busch singled in the final run of the inning. The result ended the Cubs’ 10-game losing streak—and it was their first win since May 15.
Happ entered the game with a .212 batting average. and it wasn’t as simple as “everything clicked.” Manager Craig Counsell had sat Happ last Saturday and Sunday against the Astros. aiming to help the four-time Gold Glove Award winner clear his head. In the first two games of the four-game series, Happ went just 1-for-7. Wednesday was the release valve.
Pittsburgh has been the place where Happ has consistently felt at ease. He has a .300 career batting average in Pittsburgh and has reached base in 40 consecutive games at PNC Park, the longest streak for any MLB hitter.
“It’s the park, and I’m so comfortable in it. It’s home,” Happ said. “I grew up going to games in this ballpark. I just have a good feeling when I’m here. That’s pretty much it.”
His comfort didn’t just show up in the numbers—it landed in the atmosphere, too, in part because the Pirates know him well as a neighbor. Pirates manager Don Kelly also grew up in Mt. Lebanon, but Happ hasn’t exactly made the rivalry friendly.
“Happ has killed us,” Kelly said.
The win didn’t hinge on one batter alone. Happ was one of five Cubs with two hits, joining Nico Hoerner, Alex Bregman, Carson Kelly and Dansby Swanson. Chicago finished with 14 hits.
Counsell pointed to the broader lift, the kind that helps a struggling clubhouse breathe again.
“It was a good team win,” Counsell said. “We needed it. The guys in the room needed it. A lot of guys had big hits, which has been a real struggle for us. You can’t put too much into one game, but we can celebrate for 25 minutes and then get ready for tomorrow’s game.”
On the mound, Jacob Webb (1-1) struck out the side in the sixth inning to lock in the victory.
The scoring swung like a pendulum, but the Cubs still found ways to pull it back.
Chicago jumped ahead early, bursting to a 3-0 lead by the second inning. After Happ plated two in the first, Hoerner hit an RBI single in the second.
Then the Pirates wrestled the momentum away. Starting pitcher Jameson Taillon gave up the lead in the third when Brandon Lowe hit a game-tying three-run home run into the right-field stands. The Cubs regained the advantage in the fourth when Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong hit consecutive doubles with two outs to make it 4-3.
But Pittsburgh answered again. In the bottom of the fourth, Konnor Griffin connected for a solo shot to tie the game.
Taillon’s outing ended after five innings. He did not factor in the decision after losing his three previous starts. allowing four runs and five hits while striking out four and walking two. The veteran right-hander—who was the Pirates’ first-round Draft pick in 2010—watched the relief do its job after the earlier damage.
“Those 10 losses in a row are still raw,” Taillon said when asked about the Cubs ending the losing streak. “But it feels good to get this one. It had reached the point where we needed to put a foot down, and we did.”
By Wednesday night, the foot was down, the skid was over, and for Happ, it landed in the one place he said he feels most at home.
Ian Happ Cubs Pirates PNC Park Craig Counsell Yohan Ramírez Michael Conforto Michael Busch Jameson Taillon Jacob Webb
10-4?? I mean that’s basically a beatdown.
So Happ went off because it was his home park? Kinda feel like the article is saying confidence is everything. Also .212 to suddenly 5 RBIs is wild.
Wait was the three-run homer in the seventh or the first? They mention two-run single in the first, then “breaks the tie” later, but I’m confused on the order. Either way, sitting him vs Astros and then he explodes… sounds like strategy not luck.
I read “first win since May 15” and my brain was like okay that means Cubs were tanking?? But then it’s “turnaround” like magically. Also PNC Park is always weird, like the ball travels different there or whatever.