Windy City Wrap Up: Williams Wins Wieners for Chicago

This week in Chicago sports Caleb Williams led the Bears to their first win of the season and Chicago Fire FC took a home win while the Stars, Cubs and White Sox all struggled. 

The Chicago Cubs sunk the Pittsburgh Pirates in Wednesday’s game with a 8-4 victory at PNC Park with home runs from left fielder Ian Happ and rookie catcher Moisés Ballesteros, his second home run of his career, giving them the lead. The celebration was short-lived after getting four game swept by the Cincinnati Reds.

In the first game, the Reds scored in the fourth inning with outfielder Will Benson hitting a double, allowing left fielder Austin Hays to score at home plate. However, the Cubs’ starter Colin Rea had a career high of 11 strikeouts — previously nine — and didn’t walk a batter in seven innings.  

The second and third games facing the Reds, the Cubs ended up losing 7-4 and 6-3. Reds first baseman Spencer Steer hit three homers over the Cubs in Friday’s game and one in Saturday’s game that paved the way for the Reds to win after a tie. 

The Cubs’ final game against the Reds on Saturday ended 1-0,  moved Cincinnati up the board, now tied with the New York Mets for the final wild card spot in the National League. 

On the southside of Chicago, the White Sox had a difficult week. The Sox struggled to find a rhythm at home against the Baltimore Orioles and the San Diego Padres. They still managed to take a game against the Padres, yet they ultimately lost two out of the three. 

At Soldier Field, the Bears finally showed Chicago what they can do by winning their first game of the season. Facing not only the Dallas Cowboys team at home but their former head coach Matt Eberflus, the current Cowboys defensive coordinator. 

At the start of the game the Bears seemed to face the Cowboys defensive pressure until cornerback Tyrique Stevenson recovered a fumble after taking the ball out of the hands of Cowboys running back Javonte Williams. 

Quarterback Caleb Williams then made a deep pass to Rome Odunze to score a touchdown. Williams then made another deep 65-yard pass to rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III, the first of his career.

The Bears were in the lead in the second quarter, but the Cowboys were slowly catching up, scoring two field goals, making the score 14-6. Eventually, the score was tied at 14 after a touchdown by Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert. 

Chicago broke free from the tie with a 30-yard field goal by kicker Cairo Santos, once again placing them in the lead. Ultimately, the Bears sealed the game with a touchdown by wide receiver DJ Moore during the third quarter.

After the game, Chicago fans flocked to Chicago staple The Wiener Circle, which promised their followers in a Tweet, “If Caleb Williams throws 4 TDs on Sunday, we will give away free hot dogs on Tuesday.” The restaurant followed through on its promise after Williams threw a career-high four touchdown passes against the Cowboys, giving away an estimated 2,000 hot dogs Tuesday.

Also at Soldier Field, Chicago Fire FC went up against Minnesota United FC on Saturday, winning 3-0. In recent weeks, the team has played consistently, setting a new club record for most road wins in a single season. 

The game started with a series of fouls committed by both teams. Nevertheless, the first goal was scored by Fire defender Joel Waterman in the 26th minute of the game. Two more goals by midfielder Dje Tah D’Avilla and forward Philip Zinckernagel concluded the game. 

As for Chicago Stars FC, they faced the Houston Dash on Friday at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston. The Stars lost the match with a score of 1-0. The goal was scored by Dash forward and midfielder Yasmeen Ryan during the 28th minute.  

Next week, the Bears will be heading to Las Vegas, where they will be playing against the Raiders on Sept. 28. The Cubs will be hosting the Mets and Cardinals while the White Sox will be facing the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals. The Chicago Fire will play against the Columbus Crew.