CHICAGO — For a few minutes in the eighth inning at Wrigley Field on Saturday, the Toronto Blue Jays took control of the historic ballpark.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ripped a game-tying single off Chicago Cubs reliever Jacob Webb that brought a loud “Let’s Go Blue Jays,” chant from the Canadian fans who’d obviously made the trek to the North Side.
Then, two batters later, Kazuma Okamoto whipped those supporters into a frenzy and simultaneously silenced Cubs fans with a go-ahead three-run homer. Okamoto watched his homer leave the yard and then pointed to his teammates in the visitors dugout as he rounded the bases and celebrated what was a dramatic, comeback 8-5 win over the Cubs in front of 40,706.
The Blue Jays were trailing 5-0 in the seventh inning, when a Daulton Varsho three-run homer cut the Cubs’ lead. The eighth inning began with a Myles Straw walk and a single from George Springer, while pinch-hitter Alejandro Kirk followed with an RBI single, Guerrero Jr. added his game-tying knock and Okamoto launched his shot.
The win wasn’t without more dramatics, though. Mason Fluharty loaded the bases with none out in the bottom of the eighth, prompting Blue Jays manager John Schneider to bring in Louis Varland to face the heart of the Cubs order.
The right-hander promptly induced a grounder from Nico Hoerner, struck out Seiya Suzuki and got Michael Busch to fly out to left field to end the threat. Varland also pitched a scoreless ninth inning to secure the Blue Jays win, helping the club improve to 38-39.