The two-game series between the Chicago Cubs and White Sox this week played out in fascinating fashion, with both games ending 7-6 in favor of the North Siders and the Cubs erasing big deficits in both contests.
Wednesday’s game was one for the record books however, as outfielders Corey Julks and Mike Tauchman teamed up to do something truly remarkable.
In the top of the first inning, Julks deposited the first pitch of the game from Jameson Taillon into the bleachers to give the White Sox a 1-0 lead.
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The White Sox took a 5-1 lead in the fourth inning after racking up four runs, but the Cubs battled back and the teams were tied at 6-6 in the bottom of the ninth inning when Tauchman led off the inning.
Facing White Sox closer Michael Kopech, Tauchman slashed an opposite field home run to left, giving the Cubs a 7-6 victory, and himself a spot in the record books.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time the Cubs played a game in which the first pitch of the contest and the last pitch of the game both resulted in a home run was May 21, 1987. In that game, Tracy Jones of the Cincinnati Reds hit a lead-off home run, and Cubs infielder Bob Dernier hit a walk-off home run to give Chicago the victory.
Tauchman’s home run marked the second year in a row that a Cubs player has hit a walk-off shot against the White Sox at Wrigley Field, following Christopher Morel’s heroics last summer.
With their two wins, the Cubs have secured at least a split of the season series, and will look to take down the series for the second consecutive season when they visit Guaranteed Rate Field on Aug. 9 and 10. The White Sox had captured the season series in 2021 and 2022, with the two teams splitting 3-3 in 2020.