Yankees rookie Luis Gil dominates the Cubs on his return from the IL with a 3-0 win

A windy and overcast afternoon at Wrigley Field set the scene for the start of a series between the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs. With the Cubs looking to make up as much ground as possible in their race for the Wild Card spot and the Yankees trying to fight their way back to the top of the AL East, both teams struggled a bit in the opening game of the three-game series – which also featured beloved 2016 champion Anthony Rizzo returning to Wrigley Field for the first time since being traded in 2021. However, Luis Gil was the man taking center stage in a combined one-hit shutout as the Yankees’ rookie starter dominated Chicago en route to a 3-0 victory.

The Yankees made Cubs starter Jordan Wicks work hard in the first inning. The left-hander threw 28 pitches, allowed one hit and walked two batters to load the bases while striking out Juan Soto and Austin Wells. The inning ended with Jazz Chisholm Jr. hitting a grounder back to the mound, but it’s always promising to see early life against a starter (especially given New York’s struggles with left-handed pitching in 2024).

Gil opened the game in the first start of his brief time on the injured list with a smooth first and second inning, throwing 19 pitches, facing only the first four batters in the first and throwing 23 pitches in the second. Wicks played his next run with ease, but when the Yankees’ top pitch came back to bat, the season was on.

Gleyber Torres started the third inning with a walk, and Soto – Wicks’ first strikeout victim of the first inning – hit a line drive to right field to bring in Aaron Judge. And despite his lack of power over the last nine games, the captain showed why he’s the best hitter in the league, pulling a ball down third base to score Torres and bringing Soto to third base with a double. Then Wells – Wicks’ second strikeout victim – hit a line drive to left-center field and scored two more runs, giving the Yankees a 3-0 lead.

The inning ended with a rather embarrassing third out when Wells, still on first base, tried to bait Wicks with a second lead. The catcher slipped and fell to the ground, giving the left-handed pitcher the easiest catch of his life and a clear path for a third out, ending an otherwise positive inning for the visitors.

Wicks ultimately managed to own his afternoon, going five innings. However, he was no match for Gil, as the 26-year-old shook off some slow early pitching and completely steamrolled the helpless Cubs team. The only hit he allowed was a clean double by Cody Bellinger in the fourth inning, and nothing came of it. Gil went six hitless innings with seven strikeouts and just two early walks.

That’s exactly the kind of quality starting pitcher the Yankees need alongside their ace Gerrit Cole as they compete for the AL East (and eventually the championship).

One of the few negative aspects of the afternoon was that, aside from the three-run third, the Yankees’ offense was inactive for most of the game. There were occasional short hits in a row that brought a few players into the game, but no one came home to extend their 3-0 lead, making it a test for the much-maligned relief corps.

Both teams’ bullpens did a good job of shutting down their opponents. For the Yankees, Jake Cousins ​​​​and Tommy Kahnle carried the load until the ninth inning, and the Cubs used Keegan Thompson, Shawn Armstrong and Trey Wingenter to keep the visitors at bay.

The Yankees brought in one of their options for the closer role for the first time, Luke Weaver. He struck out the first two Cubs batters he faced in the ninth inning. He walked the third batter, Bellinger (who got Chicago’s only hit), but after a long at-bat against Isaac Paredes, Weaver earned his first career save in place of the demoted Clay Holmes.

A great afternoon for the New York pitchers and timely hits from the Yankees’ top hitters enabled a comeback performance at Wrigley Field. Gil’s future, whether he stays in the bullpen or as a starter, is still unclear, but his performance today showed why he is still in the running for AL Rookie of the Year. As mentioned, he will be crucial to the Yankees’ fortunes this season.

The Bombers have been winning a lot of openers recently before falling short of winning two of three games. They will look to shake that trend tomorrow afternoon when another talented young pitcher returns from the IL. For the first time since May 26, right-hander Clarke Schmidt will get the ball, with Nestor Cortes likely to pop up whenever Schmidt reaches his pitch count. Right-hander Javier Assad will face them and throw his first pitch at 2:20 p.m. ET.

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