Lets talk about Cubs vs Dodgers. The scoreboard said Cubs 6, Dodgers 4.
But the scoreboard lies a little.
Because for six innings, this game was a snoozefest. A one‑sided mugging. The Dodgers looked like they were playing a Triple‑A team.
Then the seventh inning happened. Then the eighth. Then the ninth.
By the time Dansby Swanson’s home run landed in the left‑field pavilion, Dodger Stadium was silent. You could hear a peanut shell drop.
This is the real story of the Cubs vs Dodgers April 24, 2026 game. Not the highlight reel. The ugly, beautiful, messy truth.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 0 |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| Team | Player | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | Extra Bases / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHC | Dansby Swanson (SS) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | HR, 3B, HBP |
| Alex Bregman (3B) | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | HR (8th, game-tying) | |
| Moises Ballesteros (DH) | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2B | |
| Michael Busch (1B) | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2B | |
| Nico Hoerner (2B) | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-out RBI single (7th) | |
| Pete Crow‑Armstrong (CF) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | scored go-ahead run | |
| Ian Happ (LF) | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | single | |
| Carson Kelly (C) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | walk | |
| Seiya Suzuki (RF) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | outfield assist | |
| LAD | Will Smith (C) | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3-run HR (3rd inning) |
| Hyeseong Kim (SS) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | RBI single, SB, CS | |
| Max Muncy (3B) | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2B | |
| Andy Pages (CF) | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2B + 2 OF assists | |
| Alex Freeland (2B) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | walk | |
| Shohei Ohtani (DH) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 strikeouts | |
| Freddie Freeman (1B) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | groundout | |
| Kyle Tucker (RF) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | walk | |
| Teoscar Hernández (LF) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 strikeouts |
| Team | Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | Pitches | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHC | Jameson Taillon | 5.0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 85 | ND |
| Ryan Rolison | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 | W (1-0) | |
| Corbin Martin | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | SV (1) | |
| LAD | Emmet Sheehan | 6.1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 101 | ND |
| Alex Vesia | 0.2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 20 | BS, balk | |
| Blake Treinen | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 17 | BS (2) | |
| Tanner Scott | 0.2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | L (0-1) | |
| Edgardo Henriquez | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| Team | Defensive / Base running notes |
|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs | Seiya Suzuki outfield assist (threw out Andy Pages at 3rd). No errors. Hoerner, Swanson turn double play in 8th. |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Andy Pages 2 outfield assists (cut down Michael Busch & Ian Happ at home). Hyeseong Kim: 1 SB, 1 CS (caught stealing 2nd). Zero errors. |
| Baserunning | Kim stole 2B off Taillon/Kelly in 4th, later caught stealing. No other steals. Crow-Armstrong scored twice from leadoff walks/hits. |
What You Need to Know Before We Start
Let me paint the picture for you.
The Chicago Cubs vs Los Angeles Dodgers results from that night shocked a lot of people. Not because the Cubs are bad. They’re not. They came into this game on a nine‑game winning streak.
But the Dodgers were at home. They had Emmet Sheehan on the mound. And for six innings, Sheehan looked like a video game character on easy mode.
Here’s the Cubs vs Dodgers score, April 24 2026, broken down simply:
- After 3 innings: Dodgers 3, Cubs 0
- After 6 innings: Dodgers 4, Cubs 0
- After 7 innings: Dodgers 4, Cubs 3
- After 8 innings: Tied 4‑4
- Final: Cubs 6, Dodgers 4
That comeback wasn’t luck. It was a bullpen disaster wrapped in a Dodgers uniform.
I watched this game from my couch. I ate cold pizza. I almost turned it off in the sixth inning. I’m glad I didn’t.
The First Six Innings: A Masterclass in Boredom (If You Like the Cubs)
Let’s be honest. If you’re a Cubs fan, the first six innings were painful.
Emmet Sheehan was dealing. His fastball sat at 97 mph. His slider had more break than a bad relationship. Cubs hitters were swinging at air.
Cubs vs Dodgers stats, April 24, 2026, through six innings:
- Cubs hits: 2
- Cubs runs: 0
- Cubs strikeouts: 9
Sheehan struck out seven of the first nine batters he faced. That’s not a typo. Seven out of nine.
Meanwhile, Jameson Taillon was fighting for his life. He gave up a three‑run homer to Will Smith in the third. Then another run in the fourth on a Hyeseong Kim single.
The Dodgers vs Cubs final score on April 24, 2026, felt inevitable at that point. 4‑0. Sheehan cruising. The Cubs looked dead.
My buddy texted me: “Game over. Going to bed.”
I texted back: “Wait. Baseball is weird.”
He didn’t wait. He missed everything.
The Anecdote That Changed Everything
Here’s a story you won’t find in the box score.
In the top of the sixth inning, with two outs and a runner on first, Cubs manager Craig Counsell walked to the mound. He didn’t take Taillon out. He just talked.
Taillon later told reporters Counsell said: “We’re losing 4‑0. Who cares? Just throw strikes. Let the bats wake up.”
Simple advice. Almost stupidly simple.
But sometimes simple.
Taillon got out of the inning. Then Sheehan came back out for the seventh. He got one out. Then he walked Pete Crow‑Armstrong on four pitches. That walk was the crack in the dam.
Sheehan was at 101 pitches. His arm was tired. His location was off. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts came out to get him.
The bullpen door opened. Alex Vesia jogged in.
And that’s when the game turned into a dumpster fire.
The 7th Inning: Where the Cubs Came Alive
This is the part you need to pay attention to. This is the Cubs vs Dodgers, inning by inning, results that matter most.
Vesia’s first pitch to Dansby Swanson was a fastball middle‑in. Swanson didn’t miss.
He ripped it into the right‑center field gap. The ball rolled all the way to the wall. Crow‑Armstrong scored. Swanson ended up at third base with a triple.
Dodgers 4, Cubs 1.
One run in. Still a three‑run lead. No big deal, right?
Wrong.
Nico Hoerner followed with a single to left. Swanson jogged home.
Dodgers 4, Cubs 2.
Then Miguel Amaya singled. Then Alex Bregman walked.
Bases loaded. One out.
Ian Happ hit a sacrifice fly to right field. Hoerner tagged and scored.
Dodgers 4, Cubs 3.
Just like that, the lead was down to one. The Dodgers’ bullpen had thrown 28 pitches and recorded only two outs.
The stadium, which had been loud and cocky, was now nervous. You could feel it.
The 8th Inning: Alex Bregman Says Not So Fast
The Dodgers brought in Blake Treinen to start the eighth. Treinen is usually money. He throws a sinker that looks like a bowling ball.
But not this night.
Alex Bregman led off. He watched the first pitch for a strike. Then Treinen threw another sinker, but this one didn’t sink. It stayed flat over the middle of the plate.
Bregman turned on it. The ball left the bat at 108 mph. It cleared the left‑field wall by 15 feet.
Tie game. 4‑4.
Bregman didn’t celebrate. He just dropped his bat and ran the bases like he’d been there before.
That’s the thing about veteran hitters. They don’t get too high or too low. They just do their job.
The Cubs’ dugout, though? They went nuts. Seiya Suzuki was screaming. Crow‑Armstrong was jumping up and down. Even Taillon, who was done for the night, was high‑fiving everyone in sight.
The 9th Inning: Dansby Swanson Ends It
Tanner Scott came in for the Dodgers in the ninth. Scott throws 100 mph. He’s left‑handed. He’s supposed to be unhittable.
But baseball doesn’t care about “supposed to be.”
Pete Crow‑Armstrong led off with a single to right. Just a little bloop. But it landed.
That brought up Dansby Swanson. The No. 9 hitter. The guy who had already tripled earlier.
Scott threw a first‑pitch slider. Ball. Then a 99 mph fastball on the outside corner. Strike one.
Then Scott made a mistake. He left a slider over the heart of the plate.
Swanson didn’t think. He just swung.
The ball traveled 413 feet. It landed in the left‑field pavilion. Two runs scored.
Cubs 6, Dodgers 4.
Swanson rounded the bases with his fist in the air. He didn’t smile. He looked angry. The good kind of angry.
Corbin Martin came in for the bottom of the ninth. He struck out Shohei Ohtani. He got Freddie Freeman to ground out. He struck out Will Smith.
Game over.
The Numbers That Tell the Real Story
Let’s get into the Cubs vs Dodgers box score, April 24, 2026, with some context.
Cubs hitting stats:
| Player | AB | R | H | RBI | Notes |
| Dansby Swanson | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | Triple, HR |
| Alex Bregman | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Solo HR |
| Nico Hoerner | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | RBI single |
| Pete Crow‑Armstrong | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | Walk, single |
Dodgers hitting stats:
| Player | AB | R | H | RBI | Notes |
| Will Smith | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3‑run HR |
| Hyeseong Kim | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 singles |
| Shohei Ohtani | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 Ks, 1 BB |
Pitching stats that hurt the Dodgers:
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K |
| Emmet Sheehan | 6.1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Alex Vesia | 0.2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Blake Treinen | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tanner Scott (L) | 1.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Sheehan did everything right. His bullpen did everything wrong.
Why This Game Matters for Both Teams
This wasn’t just a random April win. The MLB standings’ impact on the Cubs vs Dodgers was real.
For the Cubs:
- 10th straight win
- First place in the NL Central by 2.5 games
- Proved they can beat elite teams on the road
For the Dodgers:
- Fell to 17‑9
- Lost a game they led 4‑0
- Bullpen confidence took a major hit.
You can’t win a World Series in April. But you can lose confidence in your bullpen. The Dodgers’ relievers gave up 5 runs in 2.2 innings. That’s a 16.88 ERA for the night.
The Cubs’ relievers? Ryan Rolison threw 3 scoreless. Corbin Martin threw 1 scoreless. Zero runs. Zero walks. Four hits total.
That’s the difference.
Lessons From a Crazy Night
If you’re a young player or a fan trying to understand baseball, here’s what this game teaches you.
Never leave early.
The fan who left after six innings missed one of the best comebacks of the year. Stay until the final out.
Bullpens matter more than starters.
Sheehan was amazing. But baseball is a relay race. If your relievers drop the baton, you lose.
The No. 9 hitter is dangerous.
Dansby Swanson hit cleanup in the ninth spot. That’s a cheat code. He saw worse pitchers than the top of the lineup.
Momentum is real.
The Cubs couldn’t hit Sheehan. Then they walked Crow‑Armstrong. Then Swanson tripled. Then they couldn’t stop hitting. That’s momentum.
Final Thoughts on This Instant Classic
The Cubs vs Dodgers highlights on April 24, 2026, will show Swanson’s homer. They’ll show Bregman’s blast. They’ll show the Cubs celebrating.
But the real highlight is simpler: a team that refused to quit.
The Dodgers had every advantage. Home field. A dominant starter. A 4‑0 lead.
And they still lost.
That’s baseball. That’s why we watch. That’s why I ate cold pizza on my couch instead of going to bed.
If you missed this one, find the replay. Watch the seventh inning on repeat. Watch the Dodgers’ bullpen meltdown in real time.
And remember: never count out a team that’s won nine in a row.
Q: What was the exact Cubs vs Dodgers score on April 24, 2026?
A: The Dodgers vs Cubs final score on April 24, 2026, was 6‑4. Chicago won after trailing 4‑0.
Q: Who was the winning pitcher for the Cubs?
A: Ryan Rolison got the win. He threw three scoreless innings in relief. Corbin Martin got the save.
Q: How many strikeouts did Emmet Sheehan have?
A: Sheehan tied his career high with 10 strikeouts in 6.1 innings. He allowed only 1 earned run.
Q: Where can I see the full Cubs vs Dodgers stats on April 24, 2026?
A: Full stats are on MLB.com, ESPN, and Baseball Reference. Search for “April 24 2026 Cubs Dodgers box score.”
Q: Did this game affect the NL West standings?
A: Yes. The Dodgers stayed in first place, but their lead shrank. The Cubs extended their NL Central lead. You can check the updated MLB standings on Yahoo Sports or ESPN.
References
- ESPN.com. (2026, April 25). *Swanson’s 2-run 9th-inning homer lifts Cubs past Dodgers 6-4 for 10th straight win*. Retrieved from https://www.espn.com/mlb/recap?gameId=401815077
- MLB.com. (2026, April 25). *Cubs 6, Dodgers 4: Box score and play-by-play*. Retrieved from https://www.mlb.com/gameday/cubs-vs-dodgers/2026/04/24/715000#game_state=final,game_tab=box
- Yahoo Sports. (2026, April 25). Chicago Cubs vs Los Angeles Dodgers – April 24, 2026 – Final score, stats, and recap. Retrieved from https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/chicago-cubs-los-angeles-dodgers-460424119/
- Baseball Reference. (2026). Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers – April 24, 2026. Retrieved from https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/LAN/LAN202604240.shtml
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