PITTSBURGH — There’s an appreciation that Michael Busch has standing at first base on days like Tuesday.

When Cade Horton is pitching, Busch has a mix of amazement sprinkled in with some relief.

“It’s incredible to be able to kind of do what he’s doing,” Busch said of the Cubs’ rookie pitcher. “The four-seamer, I know I’m at first base watching it, but I’m glad I don’t have to be in the box against it. It’s a really legit pitch.”

It’s the kind of pitch that has helped contribute to Horton’s overall dominance in the second half. Tuesday, he threw five innings of one-run ball in the Cubs’ 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates that put them on the brink of a playoff berth – despite not being the cleanest of outings.

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It started with a difficult first inning. After the Cubs spotted him a pair of runs in the top of the frame against Paul Skenes, Horton grinded through an 11-pitch strikeout against Jared Triolo, then allowed a run in the frame that cut the lead in half.

Then the Cubs had another long top of the second that produced a run, meaning Horton sat in the dugout for an extended period.

“It was a choppy game and it was long innings and [Pirates third baseman Jared] Triolo gave him a great first at-bat, and he had an extended first inning as well,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “So it was a little bit choppy, but that can happen, right? And they made him work in the third again, but the fourth and the fifth, he was excellent.”

It’s continued the dominant trend he’s been on. One only matched by a Hall of Famer:

Cade Horton of the @Cubs is 8-1 over his last 11 starts. He has allowed just 6 total runs over that span.

In the modern era, the only other MLB pitcher to have 8+ wins & 6 or fewer runs allowed over an 11-start span in a single season was Bob Gibson in 1968. pic.twitter.com/gbQchSu5WX

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 17, 2025

What really makes this run impressive is just the go-get-it mindset he has. The Cubs haven’t been coy about their plans to limit his workload down the stretch as they try and keep him fresh for a playoff run. Horton knows he has limited bullets each time he takes the ball, and teams know that four-seam fastball Busch raved about is coming – he throws it 50% of the time.

Yet, Horton is still producing results.

“He’s one of the most aggressive pitchers I’ve ever seen pitch, and it’s a lot of fun watching,” Cubs right-hander Brad Keller said. “He’s got unbelievable stuff. He’s the ultimate ‘Here it is, hit it’ kind of pitcher, you know? And it’s really fun to watch.”

And the success means he’s lining himself up to be a starter in a potential Wild Card Series – maybe even the Game 1 starter. That’s what happens when you’re a dominant pitcher.

And that’s what he’s been. On a day when he was going up against the likely NL Cy Young Award winner in Skenes, Horton outshined him and helped his team inch closer to the playoffs. The numbers are strikingly close to the Pirates phenom, who has a 2.03 ERA and 0.96 WHIP this season.

“I mean, Cade’s had a brilliant second half, there’s no question about it,” Counsell said. “It’s been a brilliant second half. There’s nothing you can’t like about it.

“He’s been as good as anybody in the game.”