Miguel Amaya home run in 9th helps Cubs outlast Dodgers

CHICAGO — Catcher Miguel Amaya was assured he’d be jogging across the bases when he blasted a two-out, ninth-inning baseball excessive into the Wrigley Subject sky together with his Chicago Cubs trailing 10-9 to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday evening.

He was proper — however simply barely.

Amaya’s 388-foot shot landed within the heart subject basket, sending the house crowd right into a frenzy as Dodgers nearer Tanner Scott blew the save. And one inning later, the Cubs gained the sport 11-10 on an Ian Happ run-scoring single off Noah Davis, capping yet one more wild affair at Wrigley.

Based on Statcast, Amaya’s blast would have been a house run in precisely one park within the majors.

“As a baseball player, its something you dream of,” Amaya stated. “As soon as I hit, I felt it was out but then I saw the center fielder getting into position to catch it. Then it was, ‘Oh my god, I have to run,’ but it was enough to get out.

“I like these basket balls.”

It was the second time in five days that both teams playing at Wrigley scored 10 or more runs; on Friday, the Cubs beat the Diamondbacks 13-11 thanks to a six-run eighth inning that was preceded by a 10-run frame by Arizona.

On Tuesday, the Cubs led 5-3 after the first inning, but the Dodgers took a 10-7 lead thanks to a five-run seventh aided by an error from third baseman Gage Workman. As has been the case all month, the Cubs kept fighting back. Right fielder Kyle Tucker brought them within one with an eighth-inning home run before Amaya tied it in the ninth.

“They’ve achieved some superb issues and a few resilient issues, most significantly,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of the team’s play on its homestand. “You win video games like that early within the season and it is an awesome carry ahead for the remainder of the season.”

The Cubs improved to 15-10 thanks to a high-powered offense that leads the league in scoring at just over six runs per game. They’ve tallied 10 or more runs in seven games already, their most through 25 games of a season since 1895, according to ESPN Research. No other team this season has done it more than 3 times.

Counsell credited his bullpen in shutting down the Dodgers in the final few innings.

The Cubs also did well facing Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani. He went 0 for 4, lowering his batting average against them this year to .167. Against all other teams, he’s hitting .302.

He also went 0-for-3 against Shota Imanaga and is now 0-for-10 against the Cubs starter.

“The following 10 at-bats he may get 10 hits,” Imanaga said. “It has been a small miracle that it is occurred 10 instances in a row.”

The Cubs keep on performing miracles at the plate both in the colder conditions this month and in the few games where the weather has been favorable for hitters. That included Tuesday, when it was 71 degrees with the wind blowing out at first pitch. It led to six home runs, none bigger than Amaya’s.

“Basket damage us a pair instances final 12 months,” Counsell said with a smirk. “It was useful tonight.”