The day before Cubs rookie Cade Horton’s start last week in Pittsburgh, pitching coach Tommy Hottovy tried to hype up the moment to him: “Oo-ooo Paul Skenes, Cade Horton, it’s a big matchup.”
Horton just laughed.
Eventually Hottovy came clean. He was trying to build up the start because he wanted it to feel like a playoff game. Hottovy plans to do the same thing before Horton’s start Tuesday against the Mets.
“Then when we sit down before your first playoff game and we’re going over the lineup, you’ve already done it,” Hottovy recalled saying to Horton. “You’ve already had a playoff game, you’ve already had playoff experience, and it’s just another game.”
Then he told Horton the same thing he’ll say in the postseason: “You don’t have to do anything different.”
The Cubs have yet to announce when Horton’s first playoff appearance will be. Based on the rotation order this final turn, Horton, Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanga could all reasonably start Game 1 on regular or extra rest. But the rookie is having the best second half of any starting pitcher in baseball, presenting a strong argument to give him the ball to open the Cubs’ playoff run.
Horton’s post-All-Star break performance has drawn comparisons to Jake Arrieta’s 2015 finish. There’s a major caveat: with Horton on a pitch limit, and Arrieta logging two complete games after the break that year, there’s a wide gap in innings.
But in Arrieta’s first 11 starts after the All-Star break, en route to winning the NL Cy Young, he posted a 0.93 ERA. In Horton’s 11 second-half starts, he’s exactly matched that mark.
“It’s really cool to be in the same conversation as him and that run,” Horton said in a conversation with the Sun-Times.
He remembers watching it as a teenage baseball fan.
“It was just pure dominance,” Horton said. “He was going seven, eight innings each start, not allowing any runs.”
Hottovy witnessed Arrieta’s masterful second half from a closer vantage point, as the team’s advance scouting and run prevention coordinator at the time.
“The one thing they both did, they both attacked the strike zone with elite stuff and weren’t afraid of contact, weren’t afraid of anybody,” Hottovy told the Sun-Times. “I see more of the similarities there: the confidence, the ‘I will go out against anybody you want me to.’ That’s been a fun thing to see with Cade.”
In 2015, the Cubs anointed Arrieta their Wild Card starter — over the more experienced Jon Lester, who took the ball in Game 1 of the Division Series. The playoff format has changed, but there’s still a case for riding the hot hand.
“Getting off to a good start in a three-game series is crucial,” Hottovy said, noting that the Cubs have options. “In a five-game series, we’re talking about, ‘OK, who do you want to throw twice?’ Versus, ‘winning Game 1 is enormous.’”
Horton has embraced big games throughout his career.
“When the pressure is on, somebody’s got to be the guy to deliver,” Horton said. “And I love being the spark guy. I take pride in that.”
He was that guy for the Double-A Tennessee Smokies when they claimed the 2023 Southern League championship.
Before that, his performance in a pivotal Game 2 of the College World Series finals helped put him at the top of the Cubs’ draft board when their No. 7 pick came around in 2022. He set a CWS finals record with 13 strikeouts.
“Atmospheres like that take you to the next level of really focusing one pitch at a time — because that’s what it demands,” Horton said. “If you start letting the atmosphere and all the external factors get to you, that’s when you lose sight of the moment.”
The atmosphere in the MLB postseason will be even more intense. But Horton has also grown as a pitcher.
Tuesday, as the Cubs work towards securing home-field advantage for the best-of-three Wild Card series, will likely be his last regular season start.
“I’m looking forward to pitching at Wrigley in the postseason,” Horton said. “It’s an unbelievable atmosphere, and it’s only going to get amplified in the postseason. So just being able to go out there and compete for something bigger than the team and this organization; I want to bring fans joy as well.”
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