Kansas City Royals at Chicago Cubs: MLB Matchup on July 22, 2025 at 7:05 PM

Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025

CHICAGO — Matthew Boyd delivered seven crisp innings for his 11th win of the season as the Chicago Cubs shut out the Kansas City Royals 6-0 at Wrigley Field on July 22, 2025. The dominant performance by Boyd spoiled Rich Hill’s return to the major leagues in this Tuesday night matchup.

Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson, and Matt Shaw each contributed two hits to help the Cubs end their two-game losing streak. Shaw, Hoerner, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, and Carson Kelly all recorded RBIs for Chicago.

Boyd (11-3) continued his impressive form, allowing just four hits, striking out six, and walking one, securing his fifth consecutive win. The left-hander retired the first eight Royals batters and maintained a no-hitter until Nick Loftin’s leadoff single in the fifth inning.

Following Boyd’s stellar outing, Caleb Thielbar pitched a perfect eighth inning, and Daniel Palencia navigated through two singles in the ninth to complete the six-hit shutout for the Cubs.

On the Royals side, Rich Hill (0-1) made his debut after being selected from Triple-A Omaha, becoming the oldest active player in baseball at 45 years old. He yielded three runs—one earned—and six hits over five innings, throwing 90 pitches (55 strikes) with two walks and one strikeout.

This game marked Hill’s 21st major league season debut and his first appearance for the Kansas City organization. The Royals are now the 14th major league team for Hill, tying Edwin Jackson’s career record.

The Royals and Hill fell behind 2-0 in the second inning, largely due to two costly Royals errors that botched potential double plays. Pete Crow-Armstrong further extended Chicago’s lead with an RBI double off Hill in the fifth.

The Cubs solidified their lead with three additional runs in the seventh inning off Royals reliever Jonathan Bowlan.

Key Moment

After Nick Loftin singled in the fifth inning, the Royals loaded the bases with one out on Freddy Fermin’s bloop single and John Rave’s bunt single. Dansby Swanson made a crucial play at shortstop, snaring Kyle Isbel’s broken-bat liner, then diving to tag out Fermin before he could get back to second base, completing an inning-ending double play.

Key Stat

The Chicago Cubs demonstrated aggressive baserunning, stealing a total of six bases during the game, including four off Rich Hill. This included a double-steal in the second inning by Justin Turner and Matt Shaw. The Cubs scored their final run in the seventh inning on another double-steal, with Kyle Tucker stealing home while Seiya Suzuki advanced to second base.

Up Next

Kansas City Royals right-hander Seth Lugo (6-5, 2.94 ERA) is scheduled to start the next game on Wednesday. The Chicago Cubs had not announced their starting pitcher at the time of this report.

In summary

The Chicago Cubs defeated the Kansas City Royals 6-0 on July 22, 2025, behind a stellar seven-inning, one-run performance by Matthew Boyd, who earned his 11th win. The Cubs offense, led by multi-hit games from Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson, and Matt Shaw, capitalized on timely hitting and aggressive baserunning, including six stolen bases. Rich Hill made his 21st season debut for the Royals, becoming the oldest active player in MLB, but struggled with control and benefited from an unearned run. Key defensive plays, like Dansby Swanson's double play, also stifled Royals' scoring opportunities.

Related Links

• Kansas City Royals News & Updates
• Kansas City Royals Schedule & Scores
• Chicago Cubs News & Updates
• Chicago Cubs Schedule & Scores
• MLB News