SF Giants fans take over Wrigley Field in rout of Chicago Cubs

The SF Giants had an epic victory over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night, scoring nine runs in the 11th inning to emerge victorious. Giants fans took over Wrigley Field in the process as the home faithful fled late.

Everything seemed normal until it wasn't. The Giants offense scratched together five runs highlighted by a two-run home run by Jung Hoo Lee while starting pitcher Justin Verlander gritted his way through five innings, only allowing three runs before handing things off to the bullpen.

SF Giants fans take over Wrigley Field in rout of Chicago Cubs

Randy Rodriguez, Camilo Doval, and Tyler Rogers came in and were all essentially flawless. All that was left was three outs from their usually reliable closer Ryan Walker in the 9th and it would be a game you could have drawn up at the start of the season as a blueprint for a typical Giants victory.

But, of course...it couldn't be that easy. What's the fun in that? Things had to get weird, and weird they got.

Ryan Walker gave up one run while recording two strikeouts before manager Bob Melvin surprisingly took him out of the game in favor of left-handed reliever Erik Miller. Melvin clearly wanted the matchup of left-on-left with Miller going up against Cubs slugger Kyle Tucker, but the decision did not pay off initially as Tucker hit a single up the middle to tie the game. Thankfully, San Francisco got out of the inning with Miller striking out Seiya Suzuki.

Then, a Giants offense that had gone cold since the 4th inning was unable to score their automatic runner in the top of the 10th. Miller had to go back out in the bottom of the 10th and was able to keep the game going somehow thanks to Dansby Swanson's line drive finding third baseman Matt Chapman's glove.

What followed was a dam bursting and runs upon runs cascading down upon Wrigley Field. Every single one of the nine runs scored in the top of the 11th inning can be watched below:

By the end of that barrage of scoring, most Cubs fans had vacated the premises while Giants fans had taken over. Full disclosure: it was more than satisfying being among the contingent of Giants fans making noise while the rest of the park was silent. Even fuller disclosure: you can see me in the cover photo for this article in the Giants hat right above Bob Melvin and to my left is my mom.

To see the Giants explode offensively like that and cheer the team on behind enemy lines was truly a special moment and one of the fonder baseball memories I have had in a life that has been full of them.

The victory was a testament to the mettle of this Giants team. The game had all the makings of being another gut-punch loss on par with, if not worse than, the other blown saves Ryan Walker has had this season (expect the closer controversy talk to only continue). Yet, the team did not quit.

In the 11th inning, the team was still in it and engaged. Willy Adames was encouraging Heliot Ramos from the dugout right before the left fielder hit a ball off the ivy in the outfield to get the offense going.

It was the kind of victory that tells you a lot about a team. We have learned time and again that the 2025 Giants refuse to quit and know they are never out of a game even when things get weird and wacky.

I feel lucky I got to seem the Giants pull off a rout in a game that was also nail-bitingly close and was part of the Giants faithful who remained until the very end to take over Wrigley Field as Cubs fans fled in disgust.