Cubs make history with 16-0 win against Dodgers
LOS ANGELES — Once the Cubs’ offense got rolling against the Dodgers bullpen, even a position player on the mound couldn’t slow the onslaught.
The Cubs beat the Dodgers 16-0 on Saturday, handing the home team not only their first loss at Dodger Stadium this season but also the most lopsided home shutout loss in franchise history.
It was the first time the Cubs had beaten a defending World Series champion by double digits since interleague play was introduced in 1997, and just the seventh time in the modern World Series era (since 1903), according to team historian Ed Hartig.
“It's so much fun being in the lineup this year,” said Miguel Amaya, who replaced Seiya Suzuki at DH after he exited with wrist pain. “From one to nine, everybody's ready to do damage. And we're hustling, running the bases in the right way, taking quality at-bats and bringing in runs whenever there’s an opportunity to bring in runs.”
Cubs starting pitcher Ben Brown stifled the Dodgers’ offense, tossing six scoreless innings and allowing five hits — all of them singles.
“Just the little things, going on in the sixth inning and getting to face the top of the order and being trusted in that is really cool,” Brown said. “That's a huge confidence boost.”
The Cubs took the lead in the second inning on a home run by Michael Busch, who led the team with four hits and was inches away from another homer off Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki the next inning. Busch’s solo shot accounted for the only run the Cubs scored against Sasaki. But when the Dodgers’ bullpen took over, the Cubs’ offense took off.
After Busch led off the sixth with a double, Justin Turner drove him in to give the Cubs the 2-0 advantage. Then the Cubs scored a combined nine runs in the seventh and eighth, with homers from Carson Kelly and Amaya and contributions up and down the lineup.
The game got so out of hand in the eighth that the Dodgers had shortstop Miguel Rojas take the mound after Amaya’s no-out two-run blast. Cubs third baseman Gage Workman got his first major-league hit with a single in the eighth against Rojas, then added a two-run double against him in the ninth.
Also as part of the Cubs’ five-run ninth, Kelly hit a two-run homer off Rojas, giving Kelly his second career multihomer game. His other one, in 2019, also was at Dodger Stadium.
“Quick swing, not big swing,” Kelly said of the key to hitting a 39.6 mph ephus pitch.