Daily News 19

Tag: Cubs home run record

  • Pete Crow-Armstrong Hits Leadoff Home Run Against Reds

    Pete Crow-Armstrong Hits Leadoff Home Run Against Reds

    Pete Crow-Armstrong continued his historic power surge for the Chicago Cubs, launching a 98.9 mph fastball from Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chase Burns into the right-field seats at 108 mph exit velocity, according to Statcast.

    The home run was Crow-Armstrong’s ninth leadoff homer of the season, moving him within three of Alfonso Soriano’s Cubs record of 12, set in 2007.

    Crow-Armstrong Closing in on MLB Leadoff Home Run Record

    Six of Crow-Armstrong’s leadoff home runs have come this month, giving him one of the most productive power stretches from the top spot in a lineup in baseball history. Kyle Schwarber, in June 2021, and Soriano, in September 2007, share the MLB record with seven leadoff homers in a single month, according to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs.

    According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Crow-Armstrong is the fourth player in MLB history to hit a leadoff home run one game after a three-homer performance. Schwarber on Sept. 4, 2024, Brian Dozier on Sept. 6, 2016, and Mookie Betts on June 1, 2016, are the other players on the list.

    Earlier this month, Crow-Armstrong led off with a home run on Aug. 18, one game after homering on both the first and last pitches of a Cubs victory over the Chicago White Sox.

    Cubs Outfielder Chasing Rare 40-Homer, 40-Steal Season

    Crow-Armstrong now has 37 home runs this season, putting him within reach of a milestone rarely achieved by a left-handed Cubs hitter. Only one left-handed batter in franchise history has hit 40 home runs in a season: Billy Williams, who hit 42 in 1970.

    With 30 home runs since the start of June, Crow-Armstrong has six more than any other Major League player during that span.

    The Cubs center fielder also has 32 stolen bases, giving him a realistic chance to complete a 40-40 season. The feat has been achieved only six times in MLB history, most recently by Shohei Ohtani in 2024.

    Crow-Armstrong is already the only player in Cubs history to record 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in consecutive seasons. He has also joined Sammy Sosa, who accomplished the feat in 1993 and 1995, as one of only two players in franchise history with two 30-30 seasons.

  • Cubs Set NL Monthly Home Run Record in Win Over Brewers

    Cubs Set NL Monthly Home Run Record in Win Over Brewers

    Alex Bregman could not stop smiling as he rounded third base and headed home for the third time Monday night at Wrigley Field. The home run came on a looping pitch from Brewers position player Andrew Vaughn, but the drive into the left-field bleachers counted just the same.

    Bregman’s eighth-inning blast in the Cubs’ 17-3 rout of Milwaukee capped a record-setting night for Chicago’s power offense. The North Siders hit a franchise-record nine home runs in one game and set a National League record with 62 homers in August.

    “It’s pretty awesome,”

    Bregman led the offensive charge with three home runs for the second three-homer game of his career. Both performances came within a few weeks of each other. Tyrone Taylor and Nico Hoerner hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, while Seiya Suzuki and Bregman did the same in the fourth. Carson Kelly, Matt Shaw and Michael Conforto also homered.

    Cubs make statement in NL Central race

    The emphatic victory came as the NL Wild Card-leading Cubs attempt to close the gap on Milwaukee in the NL Central. The Brewers still hold a seven-game lead over Chicago, but the teams are playing seven games against each other over a 10-day stretch, giving the Cubs an opportunity to make the division race more competitive.

    “You could kind of feel their energy,”

    Cubs starter Clay Holmes said after throwing six shutout innings.

    “After a couple series that we lost, you could tell that the position-player group really wanted to come out strong. And you can feel that. To be able to put a zero up there in the first and kind of let them do their thing was nice.”

    Even Pete Crow-Armstrong, who hit five home runs over the previous two games, did not go deep in the victory. Five of Chicago’s homers came against Brewers left-hander Kyle Harrison. Vaughn, primarily a first baseman, allowed the final three home runs while covering the last two innings of Milwaukee’s blowout loss.

    “The position-player stuff gets a little ridiculous at the end there, honestly,”

    Cubs manager Craig Counsell said.

    “That’s great we set a record. And the guys aren’t going to stop hitting. Guys are not going to stop hitting. They’re going to take advantage of it, and they should. They absolutely should. We’ll take it.”

    Cubs set multiple MLB and franchise records

    Chicago’s historic power surge produced an extraordinary list of statistical achievements:

    • Bregman also hit three home runs on Aug. 12. Crow-Armstrong and Dansby Swanson had three-homer games on Saturday and July 1, respectively. The Cubs joined the 2001 Brewers, 1956 Reds and 1950 Brooklyn Dodgers as the only teams in MLB history with four individual three-homer games in one season.
    • Bregman joined Sammy Sosa, who did it three times in 2001, Dave Kingman, who did it twice in 1979, and Aramis Ramirez, who did it twice in 2004, as the only Cubs players since at least 1900 with multiple three-homer games in one season. Bregman and Sosa, in August 2001, are the only players in Cubs history with multiple three-homer games in one calendar month.
    • The Cubs, the 2022 Pirates and the 2020 Braves are the only teams to record three individual three-homer games in one calendar month. Other players with multiple three-homer games in a month include Adam Duvall, Carlos Delgado, Doug DeCinces, Willie Stargell and Johnny Mize.
    • Chicago’s nine home runs set a single-game franchise record, surpassing the eight-homer performances on July 1 this season and July 4, 2025. The total also tied for the second-most home runs in a game in MLB history. The Blue Jays hold the record after hitting 10 home runs on Sept. 14, 1987.
    • The Cubs’ 62 home runs in August surpassed the 2023 Braves’ 61 home runs in June for the National League record for a calendar month. Only the 2019 Yankees, with 74 home runs in August, have hit more in a calendar month.
    • Crow-Armstrong hit 15 home runs and Bregman hit 12 in August, making them only the third pair of teammates to hit at least 12 home runs in the same calendar month. They joined Iván Rodríguez and Rafael Palmeiro, who did it for Texas in August 1999, and Yankees legends Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, who did it in July 1961 and June 1960.
    • The Cubs joined the 2025 Yankees, 2019 Twins and 2005 Rangers as the only teams in MLB history to have two games in one season featuring at least eight home runs.

    The Cubs’ record-setting month left Bregman impressed with the consistency of the lineup.

    “It was a good month, just driving the baseball,”

    Bregman said.

    “The quality of the at-bat in the second half, it’s been super consistent up and down the lineup. And it’s been tough on opposing teams.”