The Chicago Cubs walked off the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night in a crosstown Windy City showdown. Christopher Morel was the hero.
Christopher Morel has been an unsung hero for the Cubs all season long, and in many ways his impressive start helped ensure Chicago wouldn't fall to the bottom of the NL Central standings when not much else was going their way. Now, the script has flipped, with the Cubs contending for the top of the division with the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds.
As the White Sox won the first matchup of this brief two-game set, the North Siders wanted to ensure they weren't swept by their inferior southern neighbors this year. A two-run ninth inning lead wasn't enough for the Sox, as Morel hit a walk-off, three-run bomb at Wrigley Field to send fans home happy.
The radio call, as voiced by Pat Hughes, is worth a listen:
Is that you, October? Morel's celebration was perhaps even more epic, as he tore off his shirt and ran around the field with his teammates.
Cubs: Christopher Morel celebrates walk-off home run
Christopher Morel's walk-off blast had him in his feelings, but in a good way.
"It's a moment I can't even translate into English," Morel said via team translator Fredy Quevedo. "I'm definitely very, very happy. Very excited."
With the win, the Cubs remain 2.5 games behind the Brewers, and tied with the Reds in the Central standings.
"You can feel there's something kind of brewing in this clubhouse," Cubs infielder Nick Madrigal said. "Games like this, to pull those out when it wasn't looking good for most of the game, that's when you know you've got special teams."
Morel is slashing .260/.327/.516 on the season with 19 home runs. He's provided power to this Chicago lineup all season long, and did so in a big way Wednesday night.