Before tonight’s game, I tweeted this as something of a reminder that, although Madison Bumgarner gets the pub for his big swings, Jake Arrieta has actually been the better hitter this year:
A reminder that Jake Arrieta hit .262/.304/.415 (91 wRC+) this year while Madison Bumgarner was at just .186/.268/.360 (71 wRC+).
— Brett Taylor (@BleacherNation) October 10, 2016
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I’m not going to pretend I was predicting anything with that tweet, but it’s still pretty fun that Arrieta ripped a three-run homer off of Bumgarner in the second inning to give the Cubs an early 3-0 lead:
.@JArrieta34 taking matters into his OWN hands. https://t.co/8OYSRVQyIk #Crushed
WATCH on @FS1. #Postseason pic.twitter.com/Cu0B8YsFh0
— MLB (@MLB) October 11, 2016
https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/785667211453009920
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A 1-2 fastball that, despite best grunting efforts, did not get up enough. Arrieta hit that ball 377 feet, and it was 106 mph off the bat. Crushed.
That homer came only after Addison Russell (HBP) and Javy Baez (infield single) reached base at the conclusion of very long, very impressive plate appearances.
The Cubs are up early thanks to Jake Arrieta’s bat, and his arm – he also struck out the side in the bottom of the first inning.