CHICAGO (AP) — For the first time in a while, the Pittsburgh Pirates enjoyed their visit to Wrigley Field.
Adam Frazier hit a clinching home run as the Pirates scored six times in the final two innings to beat the Chicago Cubs 6-1 Sunday for a three-game sweep of the World Series champions.
"We came in struggling. It was big for us to get these three wins," Frazier said.
The Pirates went 4-14 against the Cubs last season, including 1-8 in Chicago.
Their previous three-game sweep at the ballpark was in September 2014.
Jameson Taillon (1-0) allowed an unearned run and struck out six in seven innings.
Cubs starter Jon Lester pitched three-hit ball for seven innings and left with a 1-0 lead.
The Pirates scored three times in the eighth off Koji Uehara (0-1), getting the go-ahead run when pinch runner Alec Hanson slid home on Andrew McCutchen’s bases-loaded grounder — a replay review upheld the call that catcher Willson Contreras was barely off the plate when he caught first baseman Anthony Rizzo’s throw on an attempted force play.
“That’s been more of our problem than anything, not getting a clutch hit and holding a lead at the end of the game,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said.
Frazier hit a three-run homer in the ninth.
Tommy La Stella’s pinch-hit double off Frazier’s glove in left field put the Cubs ahead in the seventh.
Chicago loaded the bases on a walk before Taillon got Rizzo to pop out to end the inning.
Taillon has given up three runs in 20 innings. Last season, he had the second-lowest ERA (3.38) among NL rookie starters.
“They’re probably the best competition in our division, and they proved it this last series,” Cubs right fielder Ben Zobrist said.