Craig Kimbrel made his Cubs debut Thursday against the Braves and it looked like he was going to cruise toward his first save of the season. After a strikeout and ground out, Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. had an amazing at-bat, lining a 3-2 pitch to left field for a double.
Kimbrel then walked the next batter on four pitches, bringing up Freddie Freeman to the plate. With the Cubs up 9-7, Freeman jumped on the first pitch from Kimbrel and hit a sharp ground ball behind first base. Anthony Rizzo fielded the grounder and then had to race to first, as Kimbrel forgot to cover.
Rizzo dove, tagged the bag just ahead of Freeman and that's how Kimbrel got his first save with the Cubs.
As far as Kimbrel's velocity, his first pitch was a 98mph fastball right on the corner.
Kimbrel stayed at 97mph through the ninth inning and his curve ball was outstanding.
So, the Cubs stay in first place despite an underwhelming 5-5 home stand. Thursday's 9-7 win over the Braves came after they trailed 6-1 in the fourth inning.
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