CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Cubs rookie starter Cade Horton has been almost unhittable since the All-Star break.
In fact, for the first five innings against Atlanta on Wednesday night, the 24-year-old right-hander didn't allow any hits at all to the Braves.
But then came manager Craig Counsell's hard stop.
Once he reached 75 pitches, Horton got the hook. Never mind that he issued just one walk on 10 pitches to Matt Olson — the second batter of the game — and then retired 14 in a row.
Ben Brown entered to start the sixth and kept Chicago's no-hit bid going until Ozzie Albies lined a single leading off the seventh. That sparked a rally that led to Atlanta's 5-1 win.
Chicago fell six games behind first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central, but Counsell's policy of protecting Horton for the stretch run and beyond doesn't bother the young pitcher, especially with the Cubs holding the top National League wild-card spot.
“Honestly, it really has helped me a lot,” Horton said. "I think just knowing I'm kind of like at that 75-pitch limit, it almost makes me scale down the moment.
“It's like, all right, let's just go out there today and get 15 outs and do it as efficiently as possible.”
Horton credits Counsell's limit with helping him recover between starts and remain strong as he acclimates to the majors.
The University of Oklahoma product has allowed just 24 hits and four runs in 47 innings across his last nine starts for a 0.77 ERA. In 20 appearances (19 starts) this season, Horton is 9-4 with a 2.78 ERA, putting him on the short list for NL Rookie of the Year consideration.
Counsell says Horton's “96-97 (mph) fastball” with “unique action and some cut” and an effective breaking ball make him hard to hit.
“It's an attack mentality,” Counsell said. “It's fun to watch and it's been a really, really impressive start to a major league career.”
And when it comes to the 75-pitch limit?
“It's what we're doing," Counsell said. ”Cade could have four or five regular-season starts left, and hopefully he's got another four or five more starts after that.
“That innings number could get pretty high, so we're going to make sure he is properly taken care of."
And that's why Horton didn't really think about asking Counsell to continue his no-hit bit Wednesday after five innings.
“Jokingly,” Horton said. "I know at the end of the day it's not going to happen.
“And that's all right. I'd much rather be healthy for the postseason than go out there for the sixth or seventh in early September."
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Cade Horton throws against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Cade Horton throws against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Iran's top judge hinted at fast trials and executions for those who were detained in nationwide protests against the country's theocracy, even as activists said Wednesday that the death toll rose to levels unseen in decades with at least 2,572 people killed so far.
Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei made the comments about trials and executions in a video Tuesday, despite a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump that he would “take very strong action” if executions take place.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said the number of dead climbed to at least 2,571 early Wednesday. The figure dwarfs the death toll from any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
After Trump was informed on the number of deaths, he warned Iran's leaders that he was terminating any negotiations and would “act accordingly.”
Details of the crackdown began emerging Tuesday as Iranians made phone calls abroad for the first time in days after authorities severed communications countrywide when the protests broke out.
Here is the latest:
Major Middle East governments were discouraging the Trump administration from waging a war with Iran, fearing “unprecedented consequences” in the volatile region, an Arab Gulf diplomat said Wednesday.
The Cairo-based diplomat, who was given anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media, said major governments in the region including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabai and Pakistan have been “in constant contact” with the U.S. administration over a potential American strike on Iran that could explode into a “full-blown war.”
Such a war will “certainly” have dire repercussions “not only on the Middle East but also on the global economy," he said.
Samy Magdy contributed from Cairo.
Iranian state television said Wednesday’s mass funeral in Tehran would include 300 bodies of security force members and civilians. The funeral is expected to take place at Tehran University under heavy security.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency, which is tracking the death toll, said more than 2,550 people have been killed, 2,403 protesters and 147 government-affiliated.
Twelve children were killed, along with nine civilians it said were not taking part in protests. More than 18,100 people have been detained, the group said.
Gauging the demonstrations and the death toll from abroad has grown more difficult and The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll given the communications being disrupted in the country.
Melanie Lidman contributed from Jerusalem.
Trump’s decision to impose a 25% tariff on countries that trade with Iran could impact India, an expert said, as New Delhi already faces existing 50% U.S. trade levies due its purchases of Russian oil.
Abhijit Mukhopadhyay, a senior economist at the Chintan Research Foundation in New Delhi, said the bigger risk is not India-Iran trade, but India’s access to the U.S. market as its exports to Iran are modest.
India mainly exports rice, tea, sugar, pharmaceuticals and electrical machinery to Iran, while importing dry fruits and chemical products. Textiles and garments, gems and jewelry and engineering goods are likely to be the most vulnerable sectors, he said.
Trump’s latest move also could affect India’s investments in Iran including the strategically important Chabahar port, which gives India a trade route to Afghanistan, Central Asia and Europe while bypassing Pakistan, Mukhopadhyay said.
Iran’s judiciary chief signals fast trials and executions for those detained in nationwide protests.
Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei made the comment in a video shared by Iranian state television on Wednesday.
He emphasized the need for swift action, saying delays would lessen the impact.
His remarks challenge Trump, who warned Iran about executions in an interview aired Tuesday.
Trump stated the U.S. would take strong action if Iran proceeded with executions. The situation highlights escalating tensions between the two countries over the handling of the protests.
Dozens of Pakistani students studying in Iran have returned home through a remote southwestern border crossing, a Pakistani immigration official said Wednesday.
Federal Investigation Agency spokesperson in Quetta city, Samina Raisani, said about 60 students crossed into Pakistan on Tuesday through Gabd border in Balochistan province with valid travel documents.
More students were expected to return through the same crossing later Wednesday, she said.
Mudassir Tipu, Pakistan’s ambassador to Iran, said Tuesday that Iranian universities had rescheduled exams and permitted international students to leave the country.
The satellite internet provider Starlink now offers free service in to people Iran who have access to the company's receivers, activists said Wednesday.
Mehdi Yahyanejad, a Los Angeles-based activist who helped get the units into Iran, told The Associated Press that the free service had started. Other activists also confirmed in messages online that the service was free.
Starlink has been the only way for Iranians to communicate with the outside world since authorities shut down the internet Thursday night as nationwide protests swelled and they began a bloody crackdown against demonstrators.
Starlink did not immediately acknowledge the decision.
This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)
