Cubs stun Braves with wild 9-run 8th-inning comeback

The Atlanta Braves once held a 10-2 lead on Saturday at Wrigley Field, but after the Chicago Cubs pulled to within 10-5 the home team pulled off one of the wildest comebacks you will ever see.

Chicago scored nine runs in the eighth inning for a 14-10 win, a bizarre eighth inning that came against four different Braves pitchers and featured only three hits.

Luke Jackson was the first victim, starting the eighth on the mound for Atlanta. He hit Jason Heyward and allowed a single to Tommy La Stella, with a strikeout in between.

Jose Ramirez relieved Jackson and struck out his first batter faced, meaning there were two outs before any of the craziness even started for the Cubs. But once it started, it was hard to stop.

Ramirez hit Kris Bryant, then allowed a single and a walk for two runs. A three-run double by Javier Baez tied the score, and Ramirez intentionally walked Addison Russell before leaving the game.

Sam Freeman entered next for Atlanta, and his walks were unintentional, but quite plentiful. He faced three batters — Heyward, Kyle Schwarber and La Stella — and walked them all, on a total of 14 pitches. That forced in two more runs and gave Chicago their first lead of the game.

Peter Moylan came in to stop the bleeding, but before he could do that his first pitch threw a wild pitch that seemed to typify the entire frame for the Braves.

The wild pitch scored one run, and a throwing error scored another. Efren Navarro struck out to end the rally, his second K of the inning.

The Cubs’ eighth-inning rally featured:

• 5 walks (one intentional)
• 2 hit by pitch
• 1 wild pitch that (sort of) brought in 2 runs
• 3 hits
• 29 balls and 26 strikes
• 9 runs

The frigid weather in Chicago probably didn’t help, but both teams had to play under the same conditions.

That just added to a bizarre day at Wrigley Field.