MESA, Arizona — Just moments after the National Anthem was completed at Sloan Park Wednesday evening, this happened:
Fortunately, it didn’t take long for park workers to turn off the sprinklers so the game could begin. And not long after that, Tyler Chatwood began raining strikeouts on the San Francisco Giants. Nine of them, in fact, in five strong innings in which he allowed just two walks and a single.
Solo homers by Ian Happ (his fifth of the spring) and Addison Russell (his first) gave the Cubs all the runs they’d need in a 2-1 win over the Giants that was completed in a swift two hours, 23 minutes.