I don’t think the Cubs scored as many runs as the Tigers did last night, but I can only barely remember that part. It was so long ago.
Instead, I’m just thinking about how locked in Kris Bryant looked at the plate, and how big his night was. Bryant came to the plate five times, and all five times he reached base. Once he walked, twice he singled, once he tripled, and once he homered. It’s just about as good as a night gets (it was a 3.250 OPS, and 725 wRC+ for the one game sample).
Even with more than 2/3 of a season on the books – 472 plate appearances – the single game still had a big impact on Bryant’s overall numbers.
Bryant’s WAR is up to 4.3 on the year (frankly, I totally would have taken that coming into the season … and he’s still got another month and a half!), which is 17th best in baseball.
I know that Kyle Schwarber gives everyone shiny-new-toy syndrome (and, let’s be clear: Schwarber’s a freaking stud), but Bryant has been so, so good this year. Don’t lose sight of it.
Bryant’s four hits, if you missed them: