CHICAGO (Interstat) — The Chicago Cubs erupted for five runs in the third inning and never looked back, cruising to a 10-3 victory over the New York Mets on Wednesday night at a crisp Wrigley Field.

A crowd of 35,060 watched as the Cubs’ offense overpowered the Mets, collecting 11 hits to New York’s four, as both teams continued their late-season pushes.

The win improved the Cubs’ record to 89-69, while the Mets fell to 81-77. The outcome defied pregame expectations, as the Mets had been installed as a 1.5-run favorite, and the combined 13 runs sailed over the projected total of 7.

Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd earned the win, improving to 14-8 on the season. He was effective over 5 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and two earned runs while striking out three. The Mets’ starter, Jonah Tong, was saddled with the loss, falling to 2-3 after being chased during Chicago’s big third inning. Aaron Civale closed out the game for the Cubs with three innings of work, surrendering two hits and one run while striking out three to notch his first save of the year.

The game began as a pitcher’s duel, with both teams held scoreless through the first two frames. The Cubs threatened in the bottom of the first, putting runners on the corners with one out, but a successful challenge by the Mets led to an out at the plate on a throw from center fielder Tyrone Taylor, snuffing out the rally.

The stalemate was broken decisively in the bottom of the third. Matt Shaw ignited the offense with a leadoff single against Tong. After a walk to Michael Busch, Nico Hoerner loaded the bases with a single. Ian Happ then cleared them with a ground-ball double down the right-field line, scoring Shaw and Busch. Moisés Ballesteros followed with an RBI single to plate Hoerner, and Seiya Suzuki capped the scoring in the inning with another run-scoring double, bringing home Happ. A sacrifice fly from Pete Crow-Armstrong brought in the fifth run of the frame, staking the Cubs to a 5-0 lead.

Chicago added to its advantage in the fourth when Shaw led off the inning by launching a solo home run, his 13th of the season, to straightaway center field.

The Mets showed a brief sign of life in the top of the fifth. Mark Vientos reached on an infield single, and two batters later, catcher Francisco Alvarez connected for a two-run homer to left field, his 11th of the year, cutting the deficit to 6-2.

The Cubs, however, answered immediately in the bottom half of the fifth. A walk to Ballesteros and a groundout set up a scoring opportunity. Carson Kelly then grounded out, moving the runner to third, but Ballesteros scored when Pete Crow-Armstrong reached on a throwing error by Mets third baseman Mark Vientos, making it 7-2.

The Chicago offense continued its onslaught in the sixth inning. After Shaw singled, Busch crushed a two-run homer to right-center field, his 31st of the season, extending the Cubs’ lead to 10-2.

New York’s final run came in the eighth inning off Civale, when Juan Soto launched a mammoth solo home run to center field, his 43rd of the year. But it was far too little, too late for the Mets, who managed just four hits all evening.

Beyond the key performances from the starting pitchers, several hitters stood out. For the Cubs, Busch finished 2-for-4 with the two-run homer, and Shaw was 3-for-4 with the solo shot, scoring three times. For the Mets, Alvarez’s two-run homer represented the bulk of their offense, while Soto provided the late solo shot. Mets reliever Ryan Helsley provided a bright spot with two scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit.

The victory gave the Cubs a measure of revenge after the Mets took the first game of the series 9-7 on Tuesday. The two teams are set to conclude their four-game series and their regular-season rivalry on Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Following the series finale, the Mets will travel to Miami to face the Marlins for a three-game set to close their season. The Cubs will remain at home to host the St. Louis Cardinals for a critical three-game series to finish their campaign. The game time was 2 hours, 41 minutes.