Baseball season has just begun, and the Chicago Cubs are off to a great start. The North Siders sit at the top of the National League Central with a record of 16-10. Their schedule so far has been challenging, but the Cubs have won both a series against the San Diego Padres and the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, the top two teams in the NL West. Last weekend, they secured a series victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks with strong performances from the entire team.
In March, the Cubs blew away the Athletics in Sacramento, where catcher Carson Kelly completed the first cycle (hitting a single, double, triple and home run in the same game) of the 2025 season. It had been over 30 years since a Cubs player hit for the cycle, the last being Mark Grace in 1993. Kelly has had an excellent season, though some Cubs fans are wondering whether or not the catcher can keep it up.
Another standout player thus far has been right fielder Kyle Tucker, who put the Cubs in the lead with a home run in an exciting Friday night game against the Diamondbacks which ended in a Cubs victory, 13-11. After an electrifying eighth inning where a combined 16 runs were scored, Tucker’s two-run homer demonstrated his talent in another standout moment in his young career as a Cub. In Tuesday night’s game, he repeated this feat to bring the Cubs back into the game in the bottom of the eighth inning. Fans are hoping for a long term contract extension.
Despite their many successes, the Cubs have also been struck with heartbreak this season. Last Friday, pitcher Justin Steele underwent UCL repair surgery on his left elbow after being placed on the injured list April 7. He had played a great game, throwing seven scoreless innings and allowing only three hits, before discomfort in his left arm took him out of the game. Unfortunately, his injury will take him out for the rest of the season, a devastating blow to the Cubs rotation. Only time will tell if the rest of the Cubs pitching crew will step up and fill the void or if the team will find pitching talent through the trade market.
Tuesday night, the Cubs hosted the Dodgers, and after a shaky Chicago bullpen gave up five runs in the seventh inning, Miguel Amaya hit a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth. Ian Happ came through in extra innings, driving in the winning run with a first pitch walk-off single.
