The Cubs are on the verge of returning to the playoffs. Cade Horton is a major reason why

PITTSBURGH — Cade Horton arrived in Chicago thinking about October.

It’s almost here for the talented right-hander. And his surging team, too.

The 24-year-old pushed the Cubs to the brink of a postseason berth with five mostly efficient innings in a 4-1 win over ace Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night, the latest gem in a string of them that has seen Horton quickly deliver on the promise Chicago saw when it selected him seventh overall in the 2022 amateur draft.

Horton joined the organization during a period of transition, as the core that helped the big league club become a playoff fixture (and in 2016, World Series champions) in the late 2010s moved on.

A little more than three years later, Horton has emerged as one of the key pieces of a savvy (and relatively quick) retooling that has returned the Cubs to promience. While he’s only been in the majors since May, the rookie certainly seems ready for the unique pressure that comes with getting handed the ball in October.

“I love pitching in high-stakes moments,” Horton said after limiting the reeling Pirates to one run and three hits in five innings. “I feel like that’s something I’ve loved doing my whole career. It’s a lot of fun to go out there and compete when you’re in the thick of it.”

And Chicago is in the thick of it thanks in no small part to Horton, who has put together one of the most impressive second halves of a season in recent memory. The pitcher who weathered four eventful innings in his major league debut against the New York Mets in May has been dominant since the All-Star break.

Horton’s 11-4 record includes an 8-1 mark since July 20, a span in which he’s allowed all of six runs. The last pitcher to do that? Hall of Famer Bob Gibson during his iconic 1968 season.

“It’s been a brilliant second half,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “There’s nothing you can’t like about it. He’s been as good as anybody in the game.”

The guy Horton squared off against on Tuesday night included.

A year ago, Skenes was where Horton finds himself now: finishing up a remarkable first season by putting the finishing touches on his campaign for NL Rookie of the Year.

Yet while Skenes was already a star by the time Pirates called him up in May 2024 — complete with the status that comes with being the top overall pick, electric stuff that often sent the radar gun into triple digits and a high-profile gymnast/influencer girlfriend — Horton’s journey from Oklahoma to the majors was more methodical and decidedly less flashy.

Still, Counsell had a feeling during spring training that Horton could be a factor for the Cubs in 2025.

“You understand that he’s a talented, talented pitcher that, if we laid a good foundation for him, we suspected that he was going to make an impact on this team,” Counsell said when Horton was called up in May.

The opening couple of months were uneven as Horton found his footing. His ERA stood at 4.80 after he allowed 13 runs (10 earned) over back-to-back starts against Houston and Seattle in late June.

Since then, he’s given up nine runs — total — fueled by an arsenal that includes a rising four-seam fastball that leaves his teammates’ heads shaking.

“I know I’m at first base watching it, but I’m glad I don’t have to be in the box against it,” first baseman Michael Busch said. “It’s a really legit pitch and just the command, the ability to just go out there every day and just throw strikes, pound the zone. It’s fun to watch.”

It’s just not particularly fun to face. Pittsburgh had a little success early, scratching across a run in the first on an RBI triple by Oniel Cruz. Horton needed 27 pitches to get the first three outs. But he needed just 52 to get the next 12 before being removed by Counsell, who admitted his budding ace probably had more to give.

Chicago, however, is monitoring Horton’s workload a bit. He has yet to throw more than 92 pitches in a start, though he’s hardly complaining. Not even after tossing five no-hit innings against Atlanta earlier this month.

The Cubs are sprinting toward the postseason with a club that could be a tough out. Horton suddenly finds himself a big part of it. And while the calendar says the NL wild-card round — where Chicago is likely headed considering NL Central-leading Milawaukee’s sizable lead — doesn’t start until Sept. 30, Horton plans to use whatever regular-season starts he might have left as a dress rehearsal.

“I just feel like I want to prepare myself for the playoffs and kind of treat (every start) like it’s a playoff game,” he said. “That way, when we do get into the playoffs, it’s not like an eye-opening moment. And that’s when you have to just go back to scaling the moment down and just play the game like it’s supposed to be played.”