Christopher Morel had himself a night to remember.
With the Cubs down by two runs in the bottom of the ninth against the crosstown rival White Sox, Morel stepped in and whacked a memorable walk-off dinger to send the Cubs to an improbable 4-3 win at Wrigley Field.
The 24-year-old designated hitter already had a single in the game when he stepped up in the ninth after Cody Bellinger doubled and Dansby Swanson walked.
Morel fell behind in the count 1-2 against White Sox closer Gregory Santos but got a 99.5-mph sinker — the second-fastest pitch of the entire game — down the middle of the plate and crushed it to right center, just clearing the wall for a three-run homer, his 19th dinger of the season.
But the theatrics only started there as Morel threw his arms up in the air near first as he circled the bases in a dead sprint.
The Wrigley Field crowd of 40,869 cheered wildly.
By the time Morel circled third, he had ripped his jersey off, and only his Cubs undershirt was visible.
“I mean Christopher Morel … it’s just so electric,” manager David Ross said. “That ball was smoked.”
After Morel was mobbed by his teammates near home plate, his athletic shirt was completely off, and he was bare-chested as his jubilation spilled over into a raucous home crowd.
After the game, Morel said the roundtripper felt extra good after Tuesday’s loss when he struck out on three straight pitches against Santos in the ninth.
“Yesterday he struck me out. It’s my time, it’s my time,” Morel said, according to Marquee Sports.
It was Morel’s first career game-ending homer, and he credited former Cubs catcher Willson Contreras for a tip that helped him stay focused with the game on the line.
“Willson once told me ‘In those moments, just try to stay like in the eye of the hurricane.’ … Just think about what I’m doing in that moment. Don’t think about anything else,” Morel said through a translator.
The win was an important one for the Cubs, who moved into a three-way tie with the Marlins and Reds for the final National League wild-card spot, despite losing All-Star starting pitcher Marcus Stroman to a rib injury for the foreseeable future.
— with AP
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