Swanson's Homer, Boyd Lead Cubs Past Pirates 2-1

Saturday, June 14th, 2025

CHICAGO -- — Dansby Swanson homered, Matthew Boyd pitched six sharp innings and the Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 on Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Swanson delivered the go-ahead hit against Ryan Borucki in the sixth inning. With two outs, he connected on a solo drive into the bleachers in left-center, giving Chicago a 2-1 advantage. It was his 13th homer of the season.

Before his pivotal home run, Swanson had struck out swinging against Pirates starter Mike Burrows in his first two at-bats. Burrows exited the game after recording the first out of the sixth inning by retiring Seiya Suzuki on a popup to first base.

Andrew McCutchen provided the offense for the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates, hitting a solo home run. It was McCutchen's 18th career homer at Wrigley Field, which is the most by any visiting active player at the iconic ballpark. The Pirates had won six of their previous eight games entering Saturday.

Matthew Boyd (6-3) was effective on the mound for the Cubs. After allowing McCutchen's home run with one out in the first inning, the left-hander retired 14 consecutive batters. Boyd, who signed a two-year contract with Chicago in the offseason, improved his impressive record at home this season to 6-0 with a 2.25 ERA in six starts at Wrigley Field.

The NL Central-leading Cubs tied the game in the third inning. Nico Hoerner led off with a single, stole second base, and advanced to third on Matt Shaw's grounder to first. Ian Happ followed with a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Hoerner.

Following Boyd's departure, the Cubs bullpen held the lead. Ryan Pressly and Drew Pomeranz each pitched a scoreless inning. Daniel Palencia closed out the game in the ninth inning to earn his sixth save of the season.

Key moment

The Pittsburgh Pirates had an opportunity to score in the seventh inning against Ryan Pressly, collecting three hits but failing to push a run across. Bryan Reynolds hit into a double play after Andrew McCutchen's leadoff single. Henry Davis then struck out looking with two runners on base to end the threat.

Key stat

The Chicago Cubs improved to 6-6 in a challenging stretch of 13 consecutive games played without an off day. Following a scheduled day off on Monday, the team faces another similar stretch of 13 games in 13 days.

Up next

Mitch Keller (1-9, 4.15 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the series finale on Sunday. The Chicago Cubs will counter with right-hander Colin Rea (4-2, 3.92 ERA).

In summary, the Chicago Cubs defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 on June 14, 2025, at Wrigley Field. Dansby Swanson hit the go-ahead solo home run in the sixth inning, while Matthew Boyd delivered a strong six-inning performance, allowing only one run on Andrew McCutchen's early home run. The Cubs' bullpen, including a save from Daniel Palencia, secured the victory.

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