CHICAGO – The Crosstown Classic delivered exactly what Chicago baseball fans were hoping for Monday night: momentum swings, late-inning drama, extra innings and a walk-off finish at Wrigley Field.
Pete Crow-Armstrong blasted a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning, lifting the Chicago Cubs to a dramatic 7-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox in the opening game of the three-game North Side portion of the Crosstown Series.
It was Crow-Armstrong’s second home run of the night and his 30th of the season, as one of the Cubs’ biggest stars provided the final swing in a game that changed direction multiple times before ending in celebration at Wrigley Field.
PCA Starts It and Finishes It
Crow-Armstrong wasted almost no time making an impact.
Leading off the bottom of the first inning against White Sox starter Luis Castillo, the Cubs center fielder launched his 29th home run of the season to right field.
One batter later, Seiya Suzuki followed with his 22nd homer, sending a 440-foot shot to center field and giving the Cubs an immediate 2-0 advantage.
Two batters. Two home runs.
It looked like the beginning of a potentially comfortable night for the North Siders.
It wasn’t.
The White Sox answered in the fourth when Randal Grichuk connected for a three-run home run off Shota Imanaga, turning a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 White Sox lead.
The Lead Keeps Changing
The Cubs responded in the fifth.
Nico Hoerner helped Chicago push two runs across, with a White Sox throwing error contributing to the play, allowing the Cubs to regain the lead at 4-3.
That advantage held until the eighth inning, when Andrew Benintendi came off the bench and delivered one of the biggest swings of the night.
With Munetaka Murakami aboard, Benintendi launched a two-run homer to right-center field, putting the White Sox back in front 5-4 and leaving the Cubs just six outs away from a Crosstown loss.
But this game wasn’t finished.
Hoerner Forces Extra Innings
Down to their final inning, the Cubs mounted another response.
Alex Bregman drew a walk and was replaced by pinch-runner Tyrone Taylor. Ian Happ followed with another walk before Hoerner came through with a clutch RBI single to center field, bringing Taylor home and tying the game 5-5.
The Cubs couldn’t finish the job in the ninth, but they had forced extra innings.
That set the stage for Crow-Armstrong.
After the White Sox failed to score in the top of the 10th, Carson Kelly began the bottom half as Chicago’s automatic runner at second base.
Crow-Armstrong stepped to the plate.
Game over.
Facing White Sox left-hander Hagen Smith, Crow-Armstrong drove a slider to right field. The ball traveled 391 feet and cleared the wall, bringing Kelly home ahead of him and giving the Cubs a 7-5 walk-off victory.
Wrigley Field erupted.
Crow-Armstrong had started the Cubs’ scoring with a home run in the first inning.
He ended the game with another one in the 10th.
Imanaga Strikes Out 10
The dramatic finish shouldn’t overshadow a strong performance from Cubs starter Shota Imanaga.
Imanaga worked six innings, allowing only two hits while striking out 10. All three runs against him came on Grichuk’s fourth-inning homer.
Castillo, meanwhile, lasted 4 2/3 innings for the White Sox, allowing eight hits and four runs, three earned.
The Cubs ultimately found a way to survive a White Sox offense that made its limited opportunities count.
This Crosstown Series Feels Different
There is another reason Monday night’s game carried more weight than the typical battle for Chicago bragging rights.
Both clubs entered the series in postseason contention.
The Cubs came into Monday at 72-53 and firmly in the National League playoff picture, while the White Sox arrived at Wrigley Field at 65-58 and atop the American League Central after sweeping the Detroit Tigers.
That makes the 2026 edition of the Crosstown Classic more than a rivalry series.
These games matter in the standings, too.
Monday’s result improved the Cubs to 73-53 and snapped a two-game losing streak. The White Sox dropped to 65-59, ending their three-game winning streak.
The season series between the two Chicago clubs is now even at 2-2, with two more games scheduled at Wrigley Field on Tuesday and Wednesday.
A Crosstown Classic Moment to Remember
For most of the night, neither side seemed willing to let the other take control.
The Cubs led.
The White Sox came back.
The Cubs answered.
The White Sox answered again.
Then Hoerner kept the Cubs alive in the ninth.
And Crow-Armstrong finished it in the 10th.
For a rivalry built around the North Side, the South Side and generations of Chicago baseball arguments, Monday night provided another memorable chapter.
Cubs 7. White Sox 5.
And Pete Crow-Armstrong got the final word at Wrigley Field.
