The Cubs kicked off the Crosstown Cup against the White Sox with Cole Hamels on the mound against struggling righty Ivan Nova. The Cubs have been dominating at Wrigley Field this year (24-11) and looked to keep up that momentum against an opponent that figured to be weaker than those they’d just faced out West.
Hamels began the game looking shaky, loading the bases in the top of the 1st inning. However, he quickly settled down before any damage could be done and cruised through seven innings with eight strikeouts. He made history in the top of the 3rd inning by striking out Nova to become the 10th lefty in MLB history to reach 2,500 strikeouts.