CHICAGO β So much for a storybook start.
The Cubs' 150th season β and the 10th anniversary of their 2016 World Series championship β opened with a thud on a blustery Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field. The Washington Nationals tagged Matthew Boyd for six runs in 3 2/3 innings, went deep three times, and cruised to a 10-4 win in front of 39,712 fans who came expecting a celebration and got a reality check instead.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSH | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 11 | 2 |
| CHC | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
Boyd Dominant Early, Then Unraveled
For three innings, Boyd looked like the guy who made his first All-Star team a year ago. He struck out seven of the first nine batters he faced, working through the Nationals' lineup with ease. The only damage was a solo homer by Joey Wiemer in the second β a 398-foot shot to left that accounted for the game's first run.
Then the fourth inning happened.
AndrΓ©s Chaparro doubled to start the frame, and the floodgates opened. Brady House singled, Daylen Lile drove in a run, and then CJ Abrams ripped a two-run single to right that broke the game open and gave Washington a 4-2 lead. A Nasim NuΓ±ez RBI groundout made it 5-2, and Boyd was pulled at 63 pitches after recording just two outs in the inning. Ben Brown inherited the mess and promptly served up a two-run homer to Jacob Young that pushed the lead to 7-2.
Boyd's final line β 3 2/3 innings, six hits, six earned runs, seven strikeouts, one walk β was ugly. He allowed more runs than in any single start during his 2025 All-Star campaign. The wind was gusting and the conditions weren't ideal, but the Nationals jumped all over hittable pitches in that fourth inning. It was the kind of outing that happens on Day 1 in late March. It doesn't define a season.
The RISP Problem
Boyd's implosion was the headline, but the Cubs' inability to capitalize with runners on base was just as damaging. Chicago went 4-for-19 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine baserunners on the afternoon. Ian Happ was 0-for-3 in those spots. Nico Hoerner went 0-for-2. Matt Shaw was 0-for-3.
The Cubs had chances to stay in this game before the fourth-inning avalanche, and they had chances to claw back afterward. They couldn't convert. That's a theme worth monitoring in the early going, but one bad RISP day in Game 1 isn't a pattern β it's a data point.
Bright Spots: Busch and PCA
If there was a silver lining on this afternoon, it was Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong. Busch was the Cubs' best hitter all day, going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, a walk, and an RBI. He scored twice and was the only Cub who consistently squared up Nationals pitching.
Crow-Armstrong, playing in his first game since signing a six-year, $115 million extension earlier this week, went 2-for-5 with two RBI. He drove in a run with a single in the third to give the Cubs their short-lived 2-1 lead, then added an RBI bunt single in the seventh. He received a loud ovation during pregame introductions, and so did Alex Bregman, who went 1-for-4 with a single and a walk in his first regular-season game as a Cub after signing a $175 million deal this winter.
Bullpen Mixed Bag
Brown worked 3 1/3 innings after replacing Boyd and gave up two runs on three hits, including the Young homer and a wild pitch that scored another. Jacob Webb surrendered a two-run Brady House homer in the ninth β though both runs were unearned due to a throwing error. Hoby Milner was the lone clean relief arm, tossing a scoreless eighth.
On the Other Side
The Nationals got exactly the kind of Opening Day they were hoping for to launch the Blake Butera era. Butera, at 33, became the youngest manager to win an Opening Day game in MLB history. Cade Cavalli, making his first-career Opening Day start after missing nearly three full seasons to Tommy John surgery, struck out five in 3 2/3 innings. He wasn't dominant β three runs (two earned), three walks β but he survived long enough for the bullpen to take over with a big lead. Washington's Brad Lord earned the win with 2 1/3 innings of one-run ball.
Up Next
The Cubs are off Friday before resuming the series Saturday at Wrigley. Cade Horton takes the mound for the Cubs against Miles Mikolas, who signed a one-year deal with Washington this offseason after spending the last several seasons in St. Louis. First pitch is at 1:20 p.m. CT on Marquee Sports Network.
Bad opener. Long season. On to Saturday.