March 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\nThe Cubs expect to take a step forward this season. To do that, they\u2019ll need Horton to do the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s going to take the ball every fifth day, and we need him,\u201d veteran Ian Happ, who hit a three-run homer, said. \u201cWe need him to be this version of himself. It\u2019s been impressive to watch. He\u2019s going to continue to get better; that\u2019s the fun part of having a guy like him on the staff.\u201d<\/p>\n
It might be unfair to expect better results than the 2.67 ERA Horton delivered in his rookie campaign. But that is the standard he set last season.<\/p>\n
Saturday, Horton looked every part of a team ace in 6 1\/3 strong innings. The young righty allowed two runs on four hits while striking out four and walking just one.<\/p>\n
Horton used five pitches on the day, largely leaning on his four-seamer but showing a nice mix of the other four offerings overall. The four-seamer sat at 95.4 mph, touched 96.9 mph and has a unique cut-ride action that makes it tough to hit. Horton can strike out batters but prefers to pound the zone and hope for early contact, leaning on a terrific defense.<\/p>\n
That, hopefully, is what will lead to his going deep into games. When he needs a strikeout, he can always rear back for more heat or unleash his nasty sweeper.<\/p>\n
\u201cImpressed with the attitude and demeanor, the ability to throw strikes, get ahead in counts,\u201d Happ said. \u201cHe has really good stuff that\u2019s tough to square up. If he gets the ball in play \u2014 you saw it all day today; our defense was making great plays left and right. You look up and he\u2019s through five innings, and it\u2019s 50 pitches.\u201d<\/p>\n
Horton ended the day with exactly 75 pitches. Over last season\u2019s final two months, the Cubs were trying to keep him right at that number, limiting a pitcher who\u2019d never thrown more than 88 1\/3 innings in a professional season. He topped 75 pitches only three times in his final 10 outings, maxing out at 87 pitches.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was really an outing that we saw last year,\u201d manager Craig Counsell said. \u201cHe was just so good with being in the strike zone, getting outs early in counts. It leads to very low pitch counts.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cubs were intentionally conservative with Horton last year. His 2024 was marred by injury, and he arrived arguably ahead of schedule in 2025. His long-term health is so important that the Cubs did everything they could to keep him fresh for what they hoped would be a postseason push.<\/p>\n
That didn\u2019t happen. But Counsell and Horton expect the youngster to ramp things up this year. After cruising through six innings, Counsell wanted to continue to push Horton. But a four-run sixth for the Cubs led Counsell to back off a little.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted him to touch the seventh inning,\u201d Counsell, who allowed Horton to get one out and throw three pitches in that frame, said. \u201cI thought that was good for building him up. I got a little conservative, frankly. I was uncomfortable with how long he sat there the previous inning.\u201d<\/p>\n
This will be a season of continued growth for Horton, one in which many believe he could emerge not only as the best pitcher for the Cubs but also as one of the best in baseball. As he continues to learn and get better, Horton is embracing what\u2019s ahead of him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited,\u201d Horton said. \u201cI don\u2019t look at it so much as a challenge. Every game could be my last game, so I attack it the same way. Just knowing I\u2019ll be able to go deeper into games, it\u2019s a good feeling. It\u2019s something I want.\u201d<\/p>\n