Cabrera shows his worth with dominant debut in Cubs victory

CHICAGO. — The wait was worth it for the Chicago Cubs, and Edward Cabrera didn't take long to confirm why he was one of the most sought-after pieces by the organization.

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In his much-anticipated debut with the team, the Dominican pitcher shone with an impeccable performance to lead the 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night at Wrigley Field. Acquired in a high-profile trade during the offseason from the Miami Marlins, Cabrera delivered a dominant performance: six scoreless innings, five strikeouts, just one hit allowed, and a single walk. From the mound, he displayed control, confidence, and the quality of repertoire that convinced Chicago to bet on him. "He has embraced this as a fresh start in his career, and that's exciting," noted manager Craig Counsell. "He seemed ready for this moment." The only unstoppable force that allowed arrived in the fourth inning, but he never lost control of the game. His dominance was sealed in the sixth episode, when he closed his work with a strikeout of Zach Neto thanks to a deep curveball that started the swing in the air. Receiver Carson Kelly highlighted the right-hander's composure throughout the outing. "Slow pulse. That's what you want to see in a pitcher like that. He had command of all his pitches," he stated. Cabrera effectively used his change of speed as his main weapon, complementing it with a fastball, slider, and curveball, the latter especially effective at generating missed swings. In addition, he induced multiple ground balls, including a key double play.

His performance not only left a great impression, but also placed him on a select historical list of the franchise. It was the first time since 2017 that a non-rookie pitcher debuted with the Cubs throwing at least six scoreless innings, and the first since 1993 with a line of so few hits allowed.

The offensive support was immediate. Chicago scored three runs in the first inning and another three in the third. Carson Kelly drove in two with a single, while Ian Happ continued his great start to the season with a home run, his third in the same number of games. One of the most striking moments of the night came early, when Cabrera faced Mike Trout. After taking the count to the limit, the Dominican surprised with a curveball that made the star swing and miss, setting the tone for his outing. "When you do that in the first inning, you set the tone," Kelly commented. Before more than 36 thousand fans at Wrigley Field, Cabrera acknowledged the intensity of the setting, but never lost focus. "He was very focused," Counsell highlighted. "It's normal to have nerves, but he handled them perfectly."

In the end, Cabrera himself summed up the experience in a simple way:
“For me, the whole game. Being able to go out and help the team win”.

With a performance like that, the right not only met expectations: it made it clear that it can be a key piece in Chicago's rotation