Thanks to an abundance of power hitting and an excellent start by Kyle Hendricks, the Cubs (49-51) beat the White Sox (41-61) in the first game of this year’s Crosstown Showdown.
White Sox starter Michael Kopech could not prevent the North Siders from making sharp contact in the second inning. After a scoreless first frame for both sides, the top of the second was troublesome for the South Siders. Seiya Suzuki led off the inning with a soft grounder just to the right of shortstop Tim Anderson. Anderson got to the ball, but his throw to first was low, and Andrew Vaughn could not make the play.