Per Statcast, Hoerner needed 42 feet to catch the ball that had a .000 expected batting average, but he ended up travelling 87 feet as it hung for 4.9 seconds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like popups at Wrigley are kind of a funky thing in general and have some weirdness to \u2019em,\u201d Hoerner said after the win. \u201cI was covering on the play and didn\u2019t do a crazy deke or anything, but enough where I feel like he didn\u2019t know where the ball was, and fortunately, I was able to go get it and find some outs.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Chicago](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1777857327_634_CTC-CUBS-DBACKS-41.jpg\")
Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) helps first baseman Michael Busch (29) up after Busch fell over the rain tarp trying to catch a foul ball in the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field on May 3, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n
The play highlighted the value of Hoerner, who had exited Friday\u2019s win early with neck tightness<\/a>, was kept out of Saturday\u2019s win<\/a> and returned to the lineup on Sunday. He is one of three reigning Gold Glove Award winners \u2014 left fielder Ian Happ and center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, the others \u2014 of a group that won the National League team Gold Glove Award<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kelly had the best vantage point as the play developed.<\/p>\n \u201cI was like that was incredible, just the thought process of it,\u201d said the catcher, who finished 2-for-4 with two RBI in the win. \u201cI think it\u2019s amazing on this team, every single day, you never know, something incredible might happen. I think that\u2019s what makes this team so exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n The defensive play stole a pair of outs for starter Matthew Boyd, allowing him to turn in his first quality start of the year as the Cubs swept the series. The Cubs\u2019 opening-day starter exited with a four-run lead and turned the ball over to the bullpen, who welcomed back closer Daniel Palencia<\/a> before the game. The flame-throwing right-hander was activated off the 15-day injured list before the game, with the Cubs designating right-hander Yacksel R\u00edos for assignment.<\/p>\n The Cubs\u2019 lineup, though, added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh, meaning Counsell didn\u2019t have to use Palencia in the win. The offense took advantage of the hitter-friendly environment on Sunday.<\/p>\n They had a baserunner in seven of their eight offensive innings, collecting 12 hits and drawing six walks.<\/p>\n \u201cI think this is a good example of how we\u2019ve been playing offense for a good chunk of the year and just a lot of pressure innings, and that just makes it hard on the pitcher,\u201d Counsell said after the win. \u201cYou got to keep making big pitches, big pitches.\u201d<\/p>\n