Mickey Moniak’s walk-off triple lifts Rockies to 6-5 win over Cubs

The Sunday afternoon crowd of 40,264 at Coors Field was lively and engaged in the Cubs-Rockies game.

But when the Cubs’ Ian Happ launched a three-run homer to tie the game, 5-5, in the eighth inning, the crowd went Savannah Bananas, greeting Happ with a standing ovation. Outmanned Rockies fans had to wear it.

Until Mickey Moniak hit a walk-off triple in the ninth to lift the Rockies to a 6-5 victory, snapping their four-game losing streak and breaking the six-game hex the Cubs held over them.

How good did it feel to shut up the Cubs’ faithful and prevent a three-game sweep?

“That’s what we’re in the business for, quieting the other crowd,” said Moniak, who entered the game as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning before recording the second walk-off RBI of his career.

“They were definitely loud, but it got pretty loud when we hit the walk-off triple,” Moniak continued. “The Rockies fans were here, too.”

Colorado wasted no time rebounding from Happ’s homer. Rookie second baseman Ryan Ritter led off the ninth with a single to left off of Cubs’ right-hander Daniel Palencia. Then Moniak drove Palencia’s 1-1 slider into the right-field corner for the game-winner as Kyle Tucker tried to corral the baseball.

“Once the ball hit the wall and shot hard, I knew there was a chance,” Moniak said. “That right-field corner is tough to play, and once it shot past Tucker out there, it was game over.”

Interim manager Warren Schaeffer wasn’t surprised that Moniak came through.

“It’s a testament to him, how he’s always ready to play,” Schaeffer said after Colorado captured its fourth walk-off win of the season. “He got Palencia there in the ninth. (Palencia) throws a lot of heaters, and I think (Moniak) likes a lot of heaters. So it worked out well for us. Worked out well for Mickey.”

Riding an outstanding six-inning start by rookie right-hander Tanner Gordon, the Rockies cruised into the eighth inning with a 5-2 lead. But when reliever Luis Peralta issued a leadoff walk to Michael Busch, and Kyle Tucker followed with a single, Cubs fans started buzzing.

Peralta got the dangerous Seiya Suzuki to fly out to right, but then Peralta grooved a 95.5 mph first-pitch fastball that Happ hammered for his three-run homer. It was not exactly a surprise that Happ would burn the Rockies. The left fielder went 6 for 12 with three doubles, two home runs, and six RBIs in the three-game series. He’s hit safely in 14 straight against Colorado, batting .382 (21-for-55).

Gordon, who’s been Colorado’s best starter in August, allowed two runs on five hits over six innings and was in line to win his fourth consecutive decision. He struck out nine, a career high and the most by a Rockies pitcher since lefty Kyle Freeland struck out nine on July 10, 2024, at Cincinnati. Colorado had been the only team in the majors that had not had a pitcher strike out at least nine batters in a game this season.

“Those guys are really good hitters, and they are aggressive, so I wasn’t hunting strikeouts, I was just trying to get ahead and execute pitches,” said Gordon, who has a 2.74 ERA over his last four starts.

His only difficult inning was the third when Chicago took a 2-0 lead on singles by Matt Shaw and Michael Busch and a two-run double by Suzuki.