Justin Steele leads Cubs to victory with 1st complete game of his career
Justin Steele made history at Wrigley Field on Friday with an impressive complete game as the Chicago Cubs defeated the Los Angeles Angels 5-1. Steele allowed just two hits and pitched for a 2.95 ERA to improve his record to 1-3 on the season.
In his first win in 13 starts, the left-handed Steele was dominant on the mound, going the full nine innings while throwing 95 pitches, striking out seven and walking just two.
The crowd of 36,948 was kept on the edge of their seats during the ninth inning when Chicago Cubs manager David Ross let Steele pitch the rest of the way instead of bringing in a closer. The game ended with a grounder to the infield by Angels’ third baseman Brandon Drury, who had no choice but to retire, clearing the way for Steele to embrace catcher Tomas Nido in the middle of the diamond.
“It was special,” Justin Steele said. “Wrigley is a special place. The fans always know what’s going on. They knew it was a special moment for me, for me. The field, the crowd and the energy, everything behind me, it’s really special. It’s really hard to put into words how special the fans are at Wrigley.”
