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Cubs reliever Trent Thornton suffers epic dugout meltdown after being removed from game
By Ryan Canfield
Published September 03, 2026
No ifs, ands or buts about it: Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Trent Thornton was not happy with his performance.
During the top of the fifth inning of the Cubs’ 9-5 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field, Thornton was removed from the game and was fuming.
Thornton entered the game in the top of the fourth inning with a man on third and two outs with the Cubs trailing 6-5. The 32-year-old did his job and struck out Luis Lara to neutralize the scoring threat.
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Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Trent Thornton reacts after retiring the side against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning of a baseball game on Aug. 23, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
After the Cubs didn’t score in the bottom of the fourth inning, Thornton went out to pitch the top of the fifth inning, and things didn’t go quite as smoothly. He struck out Christian Yelich to begin the frame but then allowed three straight baserunners.
Thornton walked Joey Ortiz and allowed singles to Cooper Pratt and Jackson Chourio before being promptly removed from the game by manager Craig Counsell. That’s when Thornton snapped.
He walked into the dugout, took a few paces and then let loose. Thornton pulled off his best Rob Gronkowski impression and spiked his glove into the bench before screaming "F---!" twice.
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Trent Thornton #49 of the Chicago Cubs pitches against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Aug. 30, 2026. (Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images)
While Thornton was upset, his woes in the top of the fifth inning did not come back to hurt him. Ryan Rolison came on in relief of Thornton and was able to retire the next two hitters in order to keep the score at 6-5.
Thornton is in his first season with the Cubs and has been a strong reliever for the team. In 44 games, he has a 3.40 ERA in 45 innings pitched and has three saves.
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Trent Thornton No. 49 of the Chicago Cubs reacts against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field on Aug. 30, 2026, in Chicago, Ill. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Unfortunately for the Cubs, they didn’t score for the rest of the game and ultimately lost 9-5, dropping the third game of a pivotal four-game series with their National League Central rivals.
The Cubs (78-62) will try to earn a series split against the Brewers (87-53) on Thursday at 7:15 p.m. ET after dropping two of the first three games of the series.
https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/cubs-reliever-trent-thornton-suffers-epic-dugout-meltdown-removed-game