Marte Walk-Off Denies Dodgers Series Win as Cubs, Pirates Also Deliver
Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte hit a walk-off home run off Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott on Thursday to earn the Diamondbacks a series split against the NL West leaders. The blast was Marte's third walk-off hit of the 2026 season, the most by any player in Major League Baseball.
The walk-off was one of several late-game pivots across the league. The Chicago Cubs recorded their seventh walk-off win of the season - the most in MLB - on a day when center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong delivered the decisive blow in the bottom of the ninth against the Oakland Athletics. The game had appeared to be heading toward an Oakland victory, with the A's holding a 6-4 lead entering the final frame. Reliever Joel Kuhnel replaced starter Mark Leiter Jr. and could not hold the margin: a succession of hits, an error, and a game-tying single from shortstop Dansby Swanson set the stage for Crow-Armstrong's walk-off, completing a full ninth-inning collapse for Oakland. The loss cost the Athletics half a game in the standings, with the Seattle Mariners idle on Thursday.
The Cubs game also produced a significant individual milestone. Athletics designated hitter Shea Langeliers hit a conventional home run in the fourth inning and an inside-the-park home run in the sixth - a multi-homer game that included an inside-the-park shot, a feat achieved only 14 previous times in franchise history and just four times during the divisional era, which began in 1969. According to MLB researcher Sarah Langs, it was also the eighth time the combination had occurred at Wrigley Field and the first since Ryne Sandberg accomplished it in 1991. Crow-Armstrong, who misplayed Langeliers' second homer in the outfield, redeemed himself with the game-winning hit.
In Pittsburgh, the Pirates extended their winning position in the NL Central by taking the rubber game of their series against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park. Houston starter Kai-Wei Teng held Pittsburgh to one run through five innings before surrendering four consecutive hits in the sixth, including a home run from right fielder Ryan O'Hearn - his ninth of the year. An error by Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña extended the damage further, and Pittsburgh ultimately won. Reliever Carmen Mlodzinski pitched four innings to secure the save. The victory moved the Pirates to 4.5 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and placed them half a game inside a wild-card position. Milwaukee lost to the San Francisco Giants, 12-9, earlier in the day, limiting the damage to Pittsburgh's deficit in the division. One notable moment for Houston: third baseman Isaac Paredes hit his 100th career home run, becoming just the fourth Mexican-born player in MLB history to reach that mark.
Elsewhere, San Francisco right fielder Jung Hoo Lee went 4-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and three runs scored in the Giants' 12-9 victory over the Colorado Rockies. The 27-year-old, now in his third major-league season, is batting .322/.356/.447 with a 132 OPS+ in 2026, a marked improvement over his above-average 2025 campaign and his below-average rookie year. The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-2, with first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. stretching a single into a double against the arm of Braves right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. Toronto improved to 30-33. The Braves, despite the loss, lead the majors with 42 wins. Finally, the Kansas City Royals defeated the Minnesota Twins in the opener of a four-game series, benefiting from a comebacker that struck the pitcher's mound at an irregular angle and deflected into center field, allowing two runs to score in what had been a tied game. Third baseman Josh Rojas, entering as a pinch-hitter, was credited with the at-bat that produced the decisive hit.
