Ian Happ gets 3 hits as Cubs beat Brewers 5-4 on opening day

CHICAGO (AP) — Ian Happ had three hits, including a tiebreaking two-run double in the seventh inning, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-4 on opening day.

Nico Hoerner hit the majors’ first homer of 2022 and Kyle Hendricks pitched neatly into the sixth, leading Chicago to the victory on a chilly, overcast afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Japanese outfielder Seiya Suzuki reached three times and scored in his first big league game.

On a day stuffed full of firsts and debuts, Milwaukee ace Corbin Burnes and catcher Omar Narváez became the first battery to use baseball’s new electronic pitch-calling system in a regular-season game.

It didn’t lead to great success for Burnes, who walked the first batter he faced and three on the day after going his first five starts last year without a single walk. The reigning Cy Young Award winner ended up going five innings, allowing three runs on four hits and striking out four.