Happ hits a game-ending single in the 10th as the Cubs top the Pirates 3-2

CHICAGO (AP) — Ian Happ hit a game-ending single in the 10th inning, and the Chicago Cubs edged the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 on Sunday.

The Cubs used a double steal to put runners on second and third in the 10th against David Bednar (1-5). Jon Berti struck out swinging for the first out, but Happ followed with a liner to right, delighting the crowd of 40,162 at Wrigley Field.

The NL Central leaders won three of four against the last-place Pirates. Every game was a one-run contest.

Dansby Swanson and Michael Busch each had two hits for Chicago. Swanson and Seiya Suzuki each drove in a run.

Chris Flexen (4-0) pitched a 1-2-3 10th for the win, completing a four-hitter.

Spencer Horwitz had two hits and drove in a run for the Pirates. Alexander Canario had a run-scoring groundout.

Each team scored two runs in the first. Horwitz singled in Oneil Cruz for the game's first run, and Swanson tied it at 2 with an RBI single in the bottom half.

Colin Rea pitched six innings of four-hit ball for the Cubs. He struck out four and walked one.

Pittsburgh right-hander Mitch Keller surrendered three hits in six innings. Keller lowered his ERA to 4.08 on the season, but he is winless in his last 14 starts.

Chicago second baseman Nico Hoerner made a diving grab of Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s low liner to end the top of the 10th and prevent automatic runner Adam Frazier from scoring.

The Cubs improved to 12-6 in one-run games.

Pirates: LHP Bailey Falter (5-3, 3.36 ERA) faces Tigers RHP Casey Mize (6-2, 2.95 ERA) at Detroit on Tuesday.

Cubs: Following an off day, RHP Ben Brown (3-5, 5.71 ERA) takes the mound against Brewers RHP Chad Patrick (3-6, 3.25 ERA) on Tuesday at Wrigley.

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Pittsburgh Pirates' Alexander Canario hits a one-run groundout against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)

Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong catches a ball hit by Pittsburgh Pirates' Oneil Cruz during the fifth inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)

Chicago Cubs' Michael Busch is greeted in the dugout after scoring against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)

Chicago Cubs' Ian Happ, right, hits a walkoff single against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 10th inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 15, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s liberal-led legislature on Wednesday passed a bill allowing heavy punitive damages against traditional news and internet media for publishing “false or fabricated information,” brushing aside concerns the legislation could lead to greater censorship.

Journalist groups and civil liberty advocates urged President Lee Jae Myung to veto the bill pushed by his Democratic Party. They say the wording is vague about what information would be banned and lacks sufficient protections for the press, potentially discouraging critical reporting on public officials, politicians and big businesses.

The Democrats, who have failed to pass similar legislation under past governments, say the law is needed to counter a growing threat of fake news and disinformation that they argue undermine democracy by fueling divisions and hate speech.

The bill would allow courts to award punitive damages of up to five times the proven losses against news organizations and large YouTube channels that disseminate “illegal information or false, fabricated information” to cause harm or seek profit.

The bill also would allow damages of up to 50 million won ($34,200) for losses that are difficult to quantify in court. The country’s media regulator would be able to fine outlets up to 1 billion won ($684,000) for distributing information a court confirms to be false or manipulated more than twice.

The bill passed the National Assembly by a vote of 170-3 with four abstentions after many lawmakers from the main conservative opposition People Power Party boycotted the vote. The vote was delayed after a 24-hour filibuster by PPP, during which lawmakers from both parties debated the bill.

PPP lawmaker Choi Soo-jin said during the filibuster that the bill fails to define the degree of inaccuracy for information to be banned, warning it could be broadly applied to content containing minor errors or general claims and used as a tool to silence critics with the threat of lawsuits.

The Democrats argue punitive damages would apply only when there is clarity that false information has been deliberately spread for harmful or profit-seeking purposes and causes actual damage, while routine allegations or claims would not be penalized.

They note the law prohibits filing damage claims with the purpose of “obstructing just criticism or oversight conducted in the public interest,” although legal experts and journalist groups have criticized the provision as vague and unrealistic.

“What the law targets is not (legitimate) criticism but the malicious and deliberate dissemination of false information,” Democratic Party spokesperson Park Soo-hyun said. “(The bill) is based on the requirement of intent and also exempts satire and parody, clearly distinguishing (what should be respected as) freedom of expression.”

The National Union of Media Workers urged Lee’s government and the Democrats to address concerns that regulating false or manipulated information by law could infringe on freedom of expression and expose media companies to abusive lawsuits, chilling scrutiny of those in power.

“We urge (them) to clearly reaffirm that the law would target only a tiny portion (of content) that’s ‘false or fabricated information’ and to carefully review the bill to eliminate any potential infringement on freedom of the press and of expression,” the group said in a statement. “We call on them to carefully define the law’s scope when drafting (the law’s) enforcement ordinance.”

FILE - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a news conference to mark the first anniversary of the Dec. 3 martial law crisis at the Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)