The thrill of victory as the San Francisco Giants Jung Hoo Lee (51) hits a walk off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the Chicago Cubs at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Thu Aug 28, 2025 (AP News photo)

Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Chicago Cubs 3 (76-58)

San Francisco Giants 4 (66-68)

Win: Ryan Walker (5-4)

Loss: Daniel Palencia (1-4)

Time: 2:09

Attendance: 32,187

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–Jung Hoo Lee walked it off with a base-hit in the bottom of the ninth inning, as the Giants completed the sweep of the Cubs with a big 4-3 win, and have now won five in a row.

The Giants came into Thursday having won four in a row, and have looked like a completely different team. They have been pitching well; playing good defense; executing good situational hitting and keeping the line moving; and hitting for power. It’s how they got off to their 24-14 start at the beginning of the season.

Most importantly, the Giants have been much looser, and have been having a lot more fun. Maybe it has to do with the lack of pressure after falling out of the pennant race, or maybe they just found that spark. The fact of the matter is that they have been playing much better, and have crept their way back up to just three games under .500.

The best part was that Logan Webb was getting a rare start after a Giants’s win. However, things were a bit rough for the Giants’ ace in the top of the first inning.

Kyle Tucker slashed a double off the end of the bat and down the left field line with one out. Ian Happ then fired, or shall we say rolled the opening salvo with a seeing-eye ground ball that found its way into right-center field for a base-hit. Tucker scored, and the Cubs had a 1-0 lead.

Pete Crow-Armsrong singled Happ over to third, and Webb was staring an ugly inning right in the face. However, Webb got Nico Hoerner to ground into a double play to end the inning, and limit the damage to just a run.

Webb got a much-needed reprieve , and the Giants struck back against Cubs’ starter Shota Imanaga in the bottom of the first. Rafael Devers took a one-out walk, and with a slight wind blowing out and the ball carrying, Willy Adames hit a home run to left-center field to put the Giants ahead.

The Cubs tied it on a home run by Dansby Swanson in the top of the second, but both pitchers settled down, and kept the score at 2-2 going into the middle innings. Imanaga set down 12 of the next 14 men he faced after Adames’ home run. Webb retired nine of the next 11 he faced after Swanson’s home run.

Michael Busch led off the top of the sixth with a home run to center to put the Cubs back ahead, but Webb then retired the side in order. Adames responded with his second home run of the game, this one also to center, in the bottom of the sixth to tie it back up at 3-3.

This was Adames’ fourth multi-home run game this season, and his second in just the last week. Adames has 24 home runs this season, and with 28 games left to play for the Giants, Adames could feasibly become the first Giant to hit 30 home runs in a season since Barry Bonds did hit 45 of them in 2004.

Both pitchers were truly evenly matched, as Webb and Iminaga both finished the day with one, two, three, innings in the seventh. Webb gave up three runs and seven hits over seven innings, while striking out seven and not walking a single guy. Iminaga allowed three runs and five hits over seven innings, while walking one and striking out five.

Jose Butto came in for the top of the eighth, and ran into trouble when Matt Shaw hit a one-out double to left. However, Busch hit a bullet that second-baseman Casey Schmitt leapt and caught, and Schmitt threw to second to double off Shaw, who had nowhere to go, and end the inning.

Brad Keller threw a scoreless bottom of the eighth for the Cubs. Joey Lucchesi and Ryan Walker combined for a scoreless top of the ninth. Chicago brought in Daniel Palencia, and he got Matt Chapman to ground out to start the bottom of the ninth.

However, the Giants rallied. Casey Schmitt and Wilmer Flores both lined base-hits to center, and the Giants had runners at first and second with one out for Jung Hoo Lee. With the count at 1-1, Lee got a somewhat-nasty slider on the inside; and lined a base-hit to right; Schmitt was waved in and scored the winning run, and the Giants had their tenth walk off win of the season.

Ryan Walker got the win, and Daniel Palencia took the loss.

The Giants have won their fifth in a row, and improve to 66-68. Other than their seven games against the Dodgers, 21 of the Giants’ final 28 games will be against teams currently under .500. The Giants just need to go 16-12 to finish over .500. With the schedule the rest of the way, it is certainly doable.

The Baltimore Orioles will come in for a three-game series starting Friday night. Robbie Ray (10-6, 2.93 ERA) will take the ball for the Giants. Dean Kremer (9-9, 4.19 ERA) will counter for the Orioles.

First pitch will be at the old and familiar 7:15 p.m.