Two grand slams. 16 combined runs in the 8th. The D-backs-Cubs opener was a wild one

CHICAGO -- After the baseball caromed off a video board beyond Wrigley Field’s famous brick wall in right field and bounced back into the outfield, delirium took over in the stands as Kyle Tucker settled into his home run trot. The decibel level remained on the edge of deafening when Seiya Suzuki followed with a blast to center field.

The party at the corner of Clark and Addison was on in the eighth inning on Friday as the North Siders pulled off an improbable 13-11 comeback win over the D-backs. This was one of those windy days that can turn the old ballpark into a bandbox – as the 21 combined runs in the seventh and eighth showed – but there was nary a cheap blast among the seven that soared out.

“If you’re in it long enough, you see more and more,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “But it was crazy.”

? Most runs EVER in an inning at Wrigley? That's just the start from Friday's craziness

“Crazy” is certainly one way to sum this up.

• This was the first time since 1912 that the Cubs won a game in which their opponent had a 10-run inning, per team historian Ed Hartig. The 21 runs were tied for the most in a two-inning span in Cubs history (the other occurrence happening in 1893).

• The D-backs became the first team to score 10-plus runs in an inning and lose since Aug. 23, 2006 (Royals).

• Per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, the 16 combined runs in the eighth inning were the most in one frame in Wrigley Field history (since 1914). Langs also noted that the Cubs are the seventh team in the past 125 years to allow 10-plus runs in an inning and win.

“We have an offense that can rally off. And it happens quick,” said Cubs catcher Carson Kelly, who launched two homers. “On a day like today, where the wind’s blowing out, you never know what’s going to happen.”

The D-backs poured out 10 runs in the top of the eighth inning to grab an 11-7 lead, erasing the impact of Ian Happ’s grand slam for the Cubs in the home half of the seventh. That double-digit showing by Arizona also included a grand slam – from Cubs nemesis Eugenio Suárez – and was capped off by a three-run shot by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Per Hartig, this marked the sixth time since 1956 that the Cubs and their opponent each hit a grand slam in the same game.

The Cubs have shown in the season’s early going that they boast one of the most potent lineups in baseball, so the group just needed one more opening.

“It’s kind of an unspoken thing,” Happ said. “It’s pretty individual, as far as what the matchup looks like. … But I think as a group, we really believe in each other. As a group, we really believe in everybody one through nine having good at-bats.”

The Cubs got their chance in the bottom of the eighth, when reliever Bryce Jarvis hit Nico Hoerner with a pitch before issuing a walk to Pete Crow-Armstrong. Kelly delivered his second homer of the afternoon and, a few moments later, Tucker and Suzuki connected for their consecutive blasts to put Chicago ahead for good.

It was a stunning turn for the D-backs.

“We were all really excited,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said of his dugout after the top of the eighth. “You feel like that's enough of a cushion, and you got six outs to go. And we felt really good about it. We liked the matchups. We just didn't execute. It's probably very entertaining for the fans, but super frustrating for us.”

The final score masked that the majority of the game featured a solid pitchers’ duel between Corbin Burnes of the D-backs and Colin Rea of the Cubs.

“It was somewhat of a normal game until that bottom of the seventh,” Rea said. “Just kind of a roller coaster.”

Lovullo had limited options in his bullpen. Co-closers A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez, along with top setup man Jalen Beeks, were down after each pitched in two of the last three games. Another setup man, Ryan Thompson, threw 33 pitches on Thursday and was going to be used only in an emergency/extra-inning scenario.

Lovullo hoped that long reliever Ryne Nelson could pitch the seventh and eighth innings and then, if Arizona had the lead, it would turn to Shelby Miller. Nelson, though, allowed five runs and didn’t survive the seventh and the Cubs roughed up Jarvis and Joe Mantiply in the eighth.

“I sold out to the win [Thursday],” Lovullo said. “I was committed to that, and I felt like getting out of Miami with a sweep and playing good baseball, with the unpredictability of the next day, I just thought, why not secure the win? A win is a win. And you know, it hurt us today.”

The game left the Diamondbacks at a loss for explanations.

“I mean, it's unbelievable,” said Randal Grichuk, who contributed two hits, including an RBI double, within the 10-run flurry. “I don't know if I've ever been a part of a game like that.”