Cubs Continue Mastery of Pirates, Contreras Explodes on First Major League Swing (VIDEO)
The Chicago Cubs (47-20) poured on the offense early and often Sunday night against the sinking Pittsburgh Pirates (33-36). They scored four runs in the first three innings off eight hits, including home runs by Javier Baez, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. The game was immediately out of reach for the Pirates.
The Cubs cruise to a 10-5 victory and sweep the Pirates – again (Box Score).
The highlight of the night came in the bottom of the sixth inning. Willson Contreras stepped up to the plate for his very first – highly anticipated – major league at-bat with the crowded cheering raucously in approval. What happened next was pure magic, fitting of the Cubs’ magical start to 2016.
On his first major league swing, Willson Contreras roared onto the big-league stage, crushing the pitch to the deepest part of Wrigley Field as the crowd cheered in utter disbelief. Yes, the Cubs have yet another weapon in their arsenal.
Somewhat easy to overlook tonight amongst the offensive bombardment was the performance of Kyle Hendricks (5-6, 2.94 ERA). He struck out a career high 12 batters over six solid innings, giving up only one run off a Josh Harrison solo home run in the top of the fourth inning.
Stats that mattered
- Five. The number of home runs from the Cubs tonight, another straight-up rocket show at Wrigley Field.
- Hendricks was solid and got great run support – 6IP, 1R, 7H, 12Ks, 1HR
- Jason Heyward had a good night at the plate and continues to look better offensively to go along with his dazzling glove play – 3-for-5, 1R
- Anthony Rizzo is tearing the cover off the ball – 3-for-4, 2R, 3RBIs, 1HR
- Javier Baez is slashing .302/.339/.604 with four home runs in June – 3-for-4, 2R, 1RBI
- Hats off to Willson Contreras, who brought the bang to go along with the hype and provided an unforgettable moment – 1 magical swing for a HR
Bottom line
If you didn’t believe in fairy tales you may wanna rethink things. The Cubs have jumped out to an unbelievable start that even the most optimistic Cubs fan couldn’t have dreamed of. This season on the North Side is going to be very special, so hold on to your hats, call your friends and neighbors, and sit back and enjoy the show. This. Is. Fun.
Next up
The Cubs take the show on the road as they travel to St. Louis to take on the Cardinals on Monday at 7:05 PM CDT. John Lackey (7-2, 2.66 ERA) looks to continue his domination over his former team.