NEW YORK (AP) — Cade Horton handled his second New York traffic jam on Saturday, much better than his first.

Holden had two troubles after sitting on a 90-minute bus to the court, winning his major league debut with the Chicago Cubs.

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Earlier in the day, the Iowa trio's highest pitching prospect was summoned and five innings were hit in four impressive innings to help the Cubs beat the Mets 6-5.

Holden let go of the opener Brad Keller after a perfect first inning and gave up three hits, including a three-round home run in the fourth inning by Brett Baty. The right-handed got nothing, hitting 49 of 77 courts in his first professional relief show.

“I think he did a great job,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. "Obviously, three innings home runs were a big game in the game. But he threw a lot of strikes. I think he learned what he was doing here certainly works, play here."

Horton discovered that his changes were working in time for the fifth time. After throwing only fastballs, curveballs and sweeping games on his first 71 courts, Holden took out $765 million of Slugger Juan Soto (potential forward run in 4-3 games) and stole the second at 86 mph.

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"That court was ignored - I didn't throw it all day, and that's the exact reason I wanted to use it is because I know he probably didn't expect it to change," Holden said. "I threw very little stuff in the scout report, and he's seen a lot of broken things, so I just wanted to mix things up."

Holden then retired through four-time All-Star Pete Alonso, who finished third in the 82-mph sweeping game.

“I gained confidence from it, just knowing my stuff really worked,” Holden said. “Just believe in that, just perfecting some of the balls that broke and more in the area.”

Horton earlier two innings, put Lindor and Soto on the way with two runners, ending the scoreless third.

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After the game, Holden greeted 18 family members and friends at Citi Field. It was a happy conclusion, and the day started with a 23-year-old pitcher thinking about the worst, as he encountered a 90-minute bus from the Cubs Midtown Hotel.

Holden grinned: "Trailed in traffic-I won't forget that." "My God, I'm an hour late."

Horton made his major league debut about three years after the Cubs picked his overall league in the 2022 amateur draft at the University of Oklahoma. He won 21 ERAs in 21 games between the three minor league branches in 2023, and then limited him to nine games last season with an LAT injury.

Holden struck out with 1.24 ERA and 33 innings in six games this season with 29 innings. He tightened his hamstrings on Saturday and he threw the bulk office on Saturday.

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“It’s a lot of ups and downs, there’s a lot of ups and downs in the future,” Holden said. “It’s all about staying there and taking it for one day.”

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