Wrigley Field was alive and pulsating with energy Tuesday night as the Chicago Cubs emerged victorious over their crosstown rivals, the Chicago White Sox, in a definitive 6-2 win. With the ivy-covered walls reflecting the last of the summer sun and every pitch accompanied by the roars of a fervent North Side faithful, the Cubs delivered a statement performance in one of the city’s most anticipated matchups of the season.
From the first pitch to the final out, the Cubs played with a chip on their shoulders. Fueled by an atmosphere that felt more like October than midseason, the team’s mix of timely hitting, crisp defense, and masterful pitching overwhelmed the White Sox in a game that was never as close as the score might suggest. In a contest that’s more than just a game to the people of Chicago, the Cubs seized the moment with authority and gave their fans bragging rights over the South Side—at least for now.
It was clear from the opening frame that the Cubs were dialed in. Leadoff man Nico Hoerner set the tone with a line drive single to center off White Sox starter Garrett Crochet. Moments later, Seiya Suzuki ripped a double into the left-center gap, putting runners at second and third with no outs. That was all the invitation Cody Bellinger needed, as the former MVP laced a two-run single through the right side of the infield, igniting the crowd and giving the Cubs a 2-0 lead before many fans had even found their seats.
Crochet labored early, struggling to command his fastball and falling behind in counts. The Cubs took full advantage of his struggles. Christopher Morel added to the early barrage with a sharp single that moved Bellinger to third, and while Crochet managed to escape further damage in the first, the tone was set. The Cubs had arrived locked in and hungry.
Meanwhile, Cubs starter Shōta Imanaga was masterful on the mound. The Japanese left-hander showcased the poise and polish that has made him an early-season revelation. He attacked the White Sox lineup with a deadly mix of fastballs that painted the corners and a splitter that dipped and dove away from right-handed hitters. Through the first five innings, Imanaga faced just one batter over the minimum, surrendering only a bloop single to Paul DeJong in the third inning that was quickly erased by a slick double play turned by Dansby Swanson.
Imanaga’s dominance wasn’t flashy—it was surgical. He needed just 67 pitches to get through five scoreless innings, inducing soft contact and keeping the White Sox hitters guessing. The South Siders, who came into the game desperate to build some positive momentum in what has been a frustrating season, simply couldn’t muster any consistent offense against him.
The Cubs continued to apply pressure on the offensive side. In the bottom of the fourth, they struck again. After a walk to Ian Happ and a bloop single by Michael Busch, Nico Hoerner came through once more, this time delivering a two-run double into the left-field corner that made it 4-0. The roar from Wrigley shook the press box. Fans sensed the significance—not just in terms of scoreboard, but in spirit. The North Side wasn’t just winning; it was dominating.
By the time the fifth inning rolled around, it was clear the Cubs were in complete control. Imanaga continued his effortless cruise through the White Sox lineup, and while Crochet settled down slightly, the damage had been done. He finished his night after five innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits, striking out six, and walking one. It was a gritty effort, but not nearly enough against a Cubs squad that was firing on all cylinders.
In the sixth, the Cubs tacked on two more runs, and again it was Bellinger who delivered. With two outs and runners on the corners, he lofted a looping single into shallow center that dropped just in front of Luis Robert Jr. The two-run knock gave Bellinger four RBIs on the night and extended the Cubs’ lead to 6-0. For Bellinger, it was another night in a resurgent season that has seen him return to All-Star form, blending timely power with leadership and poise at the plate.
The White Sox finally got on the board in the top of the seventh, thanks to a solo shot by Eloy Jiménez, who turned on a hanging slider from Cubs reliever Mark Leiter Jr. That home run, followed by a sacrifice fly from Andrew Vaughn later in the inning, gave the South Siders a glimmer of hope. But the Cubs bullpen quickly slammed the door shut.
Julian Merryweather and Adbert Alzolay combined to pitch the final two innings without allowing a hit, with Alzolay recording a dominant 1-2-3 ninth inning to secure the win. As the final out settled into the glove of Bellinger at first base, the Wrigley crowd erupted in a chorus of cheers, high-fives, and chants echoing the dominance they had just witnessed.
There’s something different about Cubs-White Sox games. They transcend standings and statistics. They are about pride, history, neighborhoods, and family allegiances passed down through generations. The fans in the stands knew what this one meant. The players did too. And on this night, it was the North Side that flexed its muscle and asserted supremacy.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell, in his first year at the helm after making the controversial switch from Milwaukee, emphasized the energy his team fed off throughout the night.
“This was a special atmosphere,” Counsell said postgame. “Any time you play the White Sox, there’s a little more juice. We talked about matching that intensity, and I thought the guys did an excellent job staying composed but playing with edge.”
Bellinger, the hero of the night, echoed those sentiments.
“You could feel it in warmups. The buzz. The history. The rivalry,” Bellinger said. “We wanted to come out and set the tone. These fans deserve a game like this. It’s always sweeter when it’s against them.”
On the other side, White Sox skipper Pedro Grifol was candid in his assessment.
“We got outplayed, plain and simple,” Grifol said. “They hit when it mattered. We didn’t. We didn’t pitch well enough, and we didn’t execute defensively in key spots. You can’t do that and expect to win in this environment.”
The win pushed the Cubs back above .500 and continued their push in a competitive NL Central. The victory also gave them a 1-0 edge in the two-game crosstown series, with the second and final meeting looming tomorrow night at Wrigley. With momentum on their side and the confidence of a team that just delivered a complete game performance in one of the sport’s most storied rivalries, the Cubs look poised to keep building.
Meanwhile, the White Sox are left searching for answers. Their offense remains inconsistent, their pitching unreliable, and their energy seemingly mismatched when it matters most. For a team that entered the season with hopes of contention, the reality now is a far cry from those aspirations. But as anyone in Chicago will tell you, regardless of records, these games carry a weight all their own—and that makes the loss sting just a little more.