New York Yankees at Chicago Cubs: Final Score & Recap

The Chicago Cubs handed the New York Yankees a lopsided 15-6 defeat at Sloan Park on March 23, 2026, turning what began as a competitive game into a decisive blowout. The DiamondIQ model's estimate opened with Chicago holding a 41 percent pre-game home win probability, and by the time the dust settled that figure had climbed to 100 percent, reflecting just how thoroughly the Cubs controlled the contest. New York finished with 13 hits and no errors but was undone by an inability to limit damage in key innings, particularly a catastrophic third that effectively decided the outcome.

The third inning was the defining sequence of the afternoon. Michael Busch delivered the game's most consequential swing, a home run off Carlos Lagrange that shifted Chicago's win probability by plus 16.2 percent and stood as the single largest win-probability swing of the night. Alex Bregman added another home run off Lagrange in the same frame, a plus 7.8 percent swing, and Matt Shaw followed with a home run off Will Brian for an additional plus 12.7 percent, as the Cubs plated six runs in the inning. The Yankees had a chance to stem the tide earlier but squandered it, as Giancarlo Stanton's strikeout against Shota Imanaga in the top of the third cost New York 7.9 percent in win probability, and Austin Wells grounded into a double play against Imanaga in the second for a minus 6.2 percent swing.

Shota Imanaga was the standout individual performer on the mound, accumulating plus 14.1 percent in win-probability added to lead all pitchers. Offensively, Busch finished with a team-best plus 16.8 percent WPA and plus 1.7 RE24, while Shaw posted the highest RE24 among position players at plus 2.2 to go with his plus 11.5 percent WPA. Bregman rounded out the top three contributors at plus 7.1 percent WPA and plus 0.9 RE24. The Cubs added five more runs in the sixth inning to push the margin beyond any doubt, and New York's three-run ninth came far too late to matter.