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Tuesday night was a special night at Wrigley Field. The second-oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball has played host to a lot of memories over the years -- but never to a Chicago Cubs player's first start culminating in a grand slam.
Until Tuesday, when 23-year-old Alexander Canario bopped an eighth-inning grand slam off Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Kyle Nicolas, in an instantly-unforgettable moment.
Crushed by Canario
Canario, who joined the Cubs as part of the Kris Bryant trade to San Francisco in 2021, started Tuesday night's game as the Cubs' designated hitter -- just his second game in MLB. In the sixth inning, Canario ripped a double into left field to score Christopher Morel, which increased Chicago's lead to 6-1. This was not only his first hit in the big leagues, but his first RBI to boot.
Canario came up again in the eighth inning with the bases loaded. Facing right-handed reliever Nicolas, Canario got a hanging breaking ball on a 1-2 count and crushed it into the bleachers in left.
"It's just incredible, it's a moment that I've always dreamed of," Canario said postgame through an interpreter. "It's just surreal, it's incredible. It's incredible to be here right now in this moment."
An intense wild card race
Canario's slam powered the Cubs to a 14-1 win over the lowly Pirates -- and the victory tightened a National League playoff race that will likely come down to the final day of the season.
Chicago improved to 79-72 and remains in possession of the third and final wild-card playoff spot in the NL. The Arizona Diamondbacks (80-72) are narrowly ahead in the second wild-card spot, while the reigning NL champion Philadelphia Phillies (82-69) have a solid three-game lead for the first wild card.
The Miami Marlins (79-73) and the Cincinnati Reds (79-74) are also hanging around in the wild-card hunt as the 2023 regular season enters its home stretch, setting up a finale to remember.