NEW YORK (AP) — Cade Horton handled his second New York City traffic jam Saturday much better than his first.
After sitting through a 90-minute bus ride to the ballpark, Horton twice worked out of trouble against the New York Mets’ best hitters to win his major league debut for the Chicago Cubs.
The team’s top pitching prospect was called up from Triple-A Iowa earlier in the day and struck out five in four impressive innings as a bulk reliever to help the Cubs beat the Mets 6-5.
Horton relieved opener Brad Keller following a perfect first inning and gave up three hits, including Brett Baty’s three-run homer in the fourth. The right-hander walked none and threw 49 of 77 pitches for strikes in his first professional relief appearance.
“I thought he did a nice job,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “Obviously, the three-run homer’s a big play in the game. But he threw a ton of strikes. I think he learned his stuff definitely works here, plays here.”
Horton found out his changeup worked at an opportune time in the fifth. After throwing nothing but fastballs, curveballs and sweepers in his first 71 pitches, Horton struck out $765 million slugger Juan Soto — the potential go-ahead run in a 4-3 game — on an 86 mph changeup as Francisco Lindor stole second.
“That pitch is overlooked — I hadn’t thrown it all day and that’s the exact reason I wanted to use it there is because I knew he probably wasn’t expecting a changeup,” Horton said. “I threw it so little on the scouting report and he’d already seen a lot of breaking stuff, so I just wanted to mix something in.”
Horton then ended his outing by retiring four-time All-Star Pete Alonso, who lined out to third on an 82 mph sweeper.
“I gain confidence from this and just knowing that my stuff does play,” Horton said. “Just trusting that, just refining some breaking balls and being more in the zone.”
Two innings earlier, Horton set down Lindor and Soto with two runners aboard to end a scoreless third.
After the game, Horton greeted 18 family members and friends who were on hand at Citi Field. It was a happy conclusion to a day that began with the 23-year-old pitcher pondering worst-case scenarios as he endured a 90-minute bus ride from the Cubs’ midtown hotel.
“Getting stuck in traffic — I won’t forget that,” Horton said with a grin. “My gosh, I’m showing up an hour late.”
Horton made his major league debut almost three years after the Cubs selected him seventh overall in the 2022 amateur draft out of the University of Oklahoma. He posted a 2.65 ERA in 21 starts between three minor league affiliates in 2023 before a lat injury limited him to nine starts last season.
Horton was 2-1 with a 1.24 ERA and 33 strikeouts over 29 innings in six starts this season at Triple-A. He pitched bulk innings Saturday in place of rotation stalwart Shota Imanaga, who strained a hamstring last Sunday.
“It’s been a lot of ups and downs and there’s going to be a lot of ups and downs in the future,” Horton said. “It’s all just about staying present and taking it one day at a time.”
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