The Chicago Cubs have been the hottest team in MLB for the past three weeks, and Michael Conforto’s walk-off home run on Monday night continued the team’s insane run off the bench.
It’s not just that the Cubs have been awesome in pinch-hit situations so far in 2026; it’s how much better they’ve been compared to the rest of the league. The Arizona Diamondbacks have better numbers, but they have only 13 plate appearances. Conforto’s home run that completed Chicago’s 5-4 comeback win in the ninth inning over the Cincinnati Reds was the Cubs’ 38th pinch-hit plate appearance, and boy was it special.
Tied game in the ninth, two outs, and a full 3-2 count. Conforto smashed Emilio Pagan’s 94mph fastball to the bleachers in left-center field to extend the Cubs’ winning streak at Wrigley Field to 12 games.
That was Conforto’s first career home run, and incredibly enough, that was his first at-bat since he started against the San Diego Padres last Wednesday. Yet, it doesn’t really seem to matter for the veteran hitter, who leads the Cubs off the bench this year.
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Conforto is now 4-for-9 as a pinch-hitter. He also came through earlier this season with a game-tying double in the ninth inning against the New York Mets. As a team, the Cubs have 38 plate appearances off the bench, ranking seventh most in MLB. The 12 pinch-hits by the Cubs lead all of MLB, tied with the Washington Nationals.
Cubs Rankings: Pinch-Hitting (min. 20 PA)
193 wRC+: 1st
.353 BA: 1st
.421 OBP: 4th
.618 SLG: 1st
1.039 OPS: 1st
12 H: t-1st
3 2B: t-1st
2 HR: t-1st
9 RBI: t-1st
Rookie Moises Ballesteros has been the primary designated hitter through the first six weeks of the season, and although he has been excellent at the plate, he is an easy player to replace late in games because of his lack of speed. Matt Shaw has been brought in to pinch-hit against left-handed pitching and to replace Ballesteros on the bases.
On Monday night, Craig Counsell used Ballesteros, Shaw, and Conforto in the DH spot, in his attempt to maximize the Cubs’ chances of winning. Conforto’s walk-off home run certainly made the manager look smart, but ultimately, it’s the players who have to produce.
Counsell is putting his guys in the best position to succeed, and so far the results have been excellent. This team is rolling.
