CHICAGO The Chicago Cubs opened their series against the St. Louis Cardinals with a 3-0 victory at Wrigley Field, continuing to build strong momentum in the postseason race.
Clay Holmes had every reason to be the center of attention that afternoon in Chicago.
The veteran pitcher delivered one of his best starts since putting on a Cubs uniform, throwing 6.2 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and recording three strikeouts.
Holmes even carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning, completely shutting down the Cardinals lineup and helping Chicago control the game even though the Cubs offense also struggled for much of the early going.
When Holmes left the mound, the Wrigley Field crowd rose to give him a standing ovation, recognizing his special performance in his first appearance in front of the home crowd.
But after the victory, when the “MVP” chants began to come Holmes’ way, the 33-year-old pitcher did not want to keep all of the attention for himself.
He smiled, shook his head and quickly redirected the recognition toward a teammate.
That player was Seiya Suzuki.
In Holmes’ view, if one player had to be chosen as the person who truly made the difference in the win over the Cardinals, Suzuki was the one who deserved the recognition most.
Because in a game almost completely dominated by pitching, one swing from Suzuki changed everything.
The Cubs did not record a hit against Matt Liberatore until the fifth inning, before Tyrone Taylor drew a walk and Dansby Swanson singled to create an opportunity in the sixth.
The Cardinals brought in George Soriano to face Suzuki, but that decision did not produce the result they wanted.
After working the count to 2-1, Suzuki crushed a middle-inside changeup and sent the ball straight into the left-field bleachers.
It was Suzuki’s 21st three-run homer of the season, while also producing all three runs in Chicago’s 3-0 victory.
Holmes gave the recognition to his teammate:
“I appreciate it, but if we’re talking about the MVP of this game, then it probably isn’t me. He created the moment we needed most and changed the entire game. I just did my job on the mound. In my opinion, that recognition belongs to him.”
That message quickly became one of the most notable moments after the victory.
Holmes had just completed 6.2 scoreless innings while allowing only one hit, but instead of turning the afternoon into a personal story, he chose to put the spotlight on Suzuki.
That recognition was even more notable because Suzuki continues to prove that he is one of the most effective yet often underrated right-handed hitters in baseball.
Over the last three seasons, Suzuki has established himself among MLB’s most dangerous right-handed bats, while his defense has also improved significantly.
More importantly, Suzuki’s biggest hits are coming at exactly the right time for the Cubs.
Chicago has now won 8 of its last 10 series, owns an 18-9 record since the All-Star break and continues to close the gap on the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central race.
Holmes may have been the player who dominated the Cardinals on the mound that afternoon at Wrigley Field.
But by refusing to keep the spotlight and giving the recognition to Seiya Suzuki, he turned the 3-0 victory into a bigger story about respect, teamwork and the growing belief inside the Chicago Cubs clubhouse.
