Matt Shaw notched the first walkoff of his career last night at Wrigley Field.
The 2025 Cubs are relentless, especially at scoring runs. That characteristic has been on display time and time again through this early season that has them leading the league in runs per game and is a big reason they are sitting atop the NL Central heading into Wednesday’s series finale against the Colorado Rockies.
That propensity towards scoring has also contributed to a trio of walkoffs so far this season, including last night’s exciting win in the bottom of the 11th inning when Matt Shaw looped a single into right to secure the Cubs W [VIDEO].
Last week we talked about some of the changes Shaw has made his second time through the league and they are paying off. He’s slashing .355/.412/.516 with a wRC+ of 163 in 34 plate appearances since his call-up.
Rockies pitcher Tyler Kinley was doing his best to cross up the rookie on a slider, but Shaw was prepared for the pitch. As well he should have been: Of the 17 pitches Kinley threw yesterday, 13 were sliders.
Speaking of rookies, this event had me wondering when was the last time a Cubs rookie walked off a game? Luckily, Baseball-Reference had me covered on this one, it was Christopher Morel hitting a sacrifice fly to score Jason Heyward in June 2022 [VIDEO].
In case you’re looking for the last rookie to walkoff the ball game with a hit, you have to go back to this single from Frank Schwindel on September 4, 2021 [VIDEO].
Fun fact, that game also included Kyle Hendricks’ 1,000th strikeout.
No shade to Morel or Frank the Tank, while walkoffs are always fun, the 2021 and 2022 varieties of the rookie walkoff were highlights in seasons that didn’t have a lot of hope in them. It’s been quite a bit longer since a Cubs rookie was walking games off for a team with hopes of playing in October.
It will likely not surprise readers of this site that the last rookie to have a walkoff hit for the Cubs in a season where they’d make the playoffs was none other than David Bote — who had not one, not two, but three walkoffs between July 8, 2018 and August 24, 2018. That wild run included one of the most exciting plays in baseball, the Ultimate Grand Slam [VIDEO].
That home run was the loudest moment I’ve ever experienced at Wrigley Field. And while only a great fool would predict another event like that, I can confirm that this year’s team is creating the kind of excitement and reactions before Memorial Day that are generally reserved for September and October.
Here’s hoping Matt Shaw is at the center of a few more walkoffs over the course of many years playing as a Cub at Wrigley Field.