Tauch it off: Mike Tauchman's walk-off homer delivers a Cubs win

That’s two crosstown games against the Chicago White Sox, and that’s two 7-6, come-from-behind wins for the Chicago Cubs. 

The only difference between Tuesday and Wednesday was when the go-ahead run was scored. In the first game Tuesday, Ian Happ hit a two-RBI double in the eighth, and then Wednesday night, Mike Tauchman hit the second pitch of the ninth inning into the left field bleachers for a walk-off home run.

Tauchman’s story is a special one. He’s a local guy who spent five seasons with three different major league teams, played a year in Korea in 2022 and then signed with the Cubs as a depth piece before the 2023 season. Tauchman got his shot last year when Cody Bellinger got hurt, and he has since cemented his place on the roster by being a steady and reliable presence. 

Tauchman illustrated what he brings to the plate in two plate appearances Wednesday. First came an 11-pitch walk in the seventh inning that ended with a passed ball, allowing Yan Gomes to score from third. Tauchman later scored a go-ahead run on Happ’s two-out single.

The second one was much shorter. Facing Michael Kopech in the bottom of the ninth with the score tied 6-6, Tauchman took a 99.6 mph four-seam fastball high for a ball and then clubbed a 98.4 mph four-seamer middle-in almost 400 feet into the seats.

“Just a cool story, someone everyone should feel really comfortable rooting for,” starter Jameson Taillon said. “A good dude. Has bounced around, gone to Korea, so [it’s] really cool to see him getting an opportunity and getting these moments for his hometown team. 

“I mean, it’s kind of like a movie.”

Tauchman can be counted on to be prepared no matter how long it’s been since he’s played, where he’s batting in the order or where he’s playing in the field, Taillon said.
His steadiness creates a feeling of comfort for his teammates, especially when he’s at the plate.

“Tauch’s a dog. Every time he’s up there, you know he’s going to have a tough [at-bat],” Taillon said. “You know he’s going to be prepared, he knows what the opposing pitcher’s got, he knows how they’re going to try to attack him. There’s no one more prepared.”

Tauchman showcased that preparation in the ninth inning Wednesday. Kopech is a challenge to face because of his velocity, a weapon that has been his trademark since he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox and then became a centerpiece of the Chris Sale trade that took him to the South Side in 2016. Kopech was moved to the bullpen during spring training, a move he was not fully pleased with because of his longstanding desire to be a starter. 

But before Wednesday, Kopech had blown just one save. He’s finished a third of the White Sox’ wins this season. Opposing batters had hit just .188 against his four-seamer (which averages nearly 99 mph) entering Wednesday, but that was the pitch Tauchman said he had his eye on.

“He throws really hard, he’s got a great fastball, so in that situation, I personally feel like trying to be ready for anything else is foolish,” Tauchman said. “So just trying to get a pitch down, because that velocity up in the zone is tough.”

Like the night before, the Cubs had to overcome an early deficit in the finale of the two-game set at Wrigley Field. They trailed 5-0 in the fourth inning on Tuesday, and they found themselves down 5-1 in the fourth inning Wednesday. They chipped away, scoring a pair of runs in the fifth — one of those was Tauchman scoring on a balk after he’d singled to get on base — and then taking the lead in the seventh on Happ’s single. 

White Sox shortstop Paul DeJong tied the game in the eighth, hitting a solo home run off of Hayden Wesneski, just like Luis Robert Jr. did the previous night. But other than the DeJong homer, the Cubs’ bullpen held the Sox’ offense in check for four innings, taking over after Taillon went five frames and gave up five runs. 

“It always kind of goes unnoticed when you have the big comeback, but you get that comeback because you get some good efforts [from the relievers],” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “The guys did a nice job. You cover four innings and give up one run, that’s giving the offense a chance to do what they did tonight.”

These two wins against the White Sox came at a good time.

The Cubs had lost six consecutive series leading up to this one. Beating the White Sox twice got the Cubs back to .500 and helped narrow the gap behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers to five games.

The Brewers just got swept in three games by the Philadelphia Phillies. It’s fair, however, to wonder how much stock can be placed in beating the hapless South Siders in back-to-back dogfights. Their two losses extended the Sox losing streak to 13 games — the longest in franchise history since they lost 13 in a row in August of 1924 — and dropped their season record to 15-47. 

But all wins count the same in the standings, and the Cubs have ground to make up after going 10-18 in May. A couple of grind-it-out victories over even the worst team can help propel a group into a winning streak. The Cubs go on the road to face the Cincinnati Reds and Tampa Bay Rays before coming home to host the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants and New York Mets, so Tauchman’s ninth-inning shot Wednesday sends them into this next stretch on a high note.

“I think every kid dreams of hitting a walk-off homer,” Tauchman said. “To have that moment, it’s special, and it’s something that when it’s all said and done, I’ll look back on it and always have that and be able to smile about it. 

“We’re going to enjoy the win tonight, and then we’ve got a big stretch coming up here, so you gotta kind of move on fast.”

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