Game Recap: Giants walk it off, Cubs swept for first time in 2025

Sergio Estrada - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 9 hours ago

Photo by Joshua S. Kelly / Imagn ImagesAN FRANCISCO - Heading into Sunday's Series finale with the San Francisco Giants (66-68) at Oracle Park, the Chicago Cubs (76-58) were one of two teams that had something worth bragging about. That something was not being swept in a three-game series all season long.

Regardless of a team's record, that is an impressive feat, especially this late in the season when you look at the level of competition the Cubs had earlier in the season. As is the case so often, all good things must come to an end, and the Cubs' string of not being swept ended on Sunday as the Giants delivered in the ninth off Daniel Palencia to secure the three-game sweep with a 4-3 walk-off win.

Once again, the Cubs wasted a strong pitching performance from Shota Imanaga as the starting pitching continues to carry this team. Sure, Imanaga gave up a pair of long balls to Willy Adames, leading to three runs, but that was it as he struck out five across seven innings, as he continues to do his part on the mound.

The Cubs needed him to show out in a big way as both Matthew Boyd and Colin Rea failed to go as deep as they typically do, which meant more innings for the pen. Chicago was also facing Giants ace Logan Webb on Sunday, which made things even more challenging for an already struggling offense. Like Imanaga, Webb wasn't perfect, allowing three runs in seven innings, but he delivered another great start overall.

For the first time in this series, it was the Cubs striking first as they wasted no time getting the scoring started against Webb. Kyle Tucker played a role in that with a one-out double before coming home on an Ian Happ single to make this a 1-0 game. Pete Crow-Armstrong tacked on a single shortly after, but with Webb inducing a huge double play to end the inning, the Cubs wasted an opportunity to tack on more.

Just as quickly as the Giants fell behind, they responded in the bottom of the first as Saturday's hero, Rafael Devers, worked a one-out walk before the middle of the order did the damage. This time it was Adames coming through with a massive afternoon as he connected for the first of his two homers in the first to put the Giants in front 2-1.

The long ball continued to play a role in this game in the second, with Dansby Swanson going deep for his 19th homer of the season to pull the Cubs back to even 2-2. Those were the final runs for several innings as both offenses were held in check through the fifth. San Francisco had an opportunity to retake the lead in the bottom of the fifth off a pair of singles, only to have Imanaga escape without damage with a double play.

The massive swing in momentum was evident in the top half of the sixth with Michael Busch getting in on the homer parade with a solo shot that put the Cubs back in front 3-2. As was the case in the first, when the Cubs grabbed the initial lead, the Giants didn't waste any time pulling even, as Adamas touched up Imanaga for the second time, making it a 3-3 game.

In what became a battle of the bullpens in the eighth, it looked like the Giants' pen was going to crack first as Matt Shaw uncorked a one-out double off Jose Butto to put the go-ahead run on second. That was as close as Shaw would get, as once again the double play ball killed a rally and sent this game to the bottom of the eighth with Brad Keller set to take over.

That was as close as the Cubs would get to scoring another run as Tucker was the final baserunner in the ninth, reaching first on a one-out walk before Ryan Walker was able to keep him there. With three outs standing between them and extras, Palencia was called on to close things out for the Cubs as he was looking to get this one into extras.

For the most part, Palencia has been everything the Cubs could've asked for and more, but his past three weeks have been anything but fun as plenty of stressful innings have been mixed in. This was another high-stress inning by Palencia, as a pair of one-out singles from Matt Chapman and Casey Schmitt had the winning run at second.

Wilmer Flores kept the line moving with a third consecutive single as the Giants had the bases loaded.

Needing a massive double play to get out of the innings, it was the Giants finding a way to finish them off as Jung Hoo Lee made it four consecutive singles off Palencia as the Giants handed the Cubs their first sweep of the season, 4-3.