For the second time in six games, we got the full Bryzzo Souvenir Company experience yesterday, with each of Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo going deep.
For Bryant, it wasn’t just the 19th homer of the season, it was also the hardest homer he’s hit in the Statcast era:
That got out fast!
Sheesh, @KrisBryant_23. pic.twitter.com/5BqU6vnrv8
โ MLB (@MLB) July 16, 2017
If that baby looked like a rocket, that’s because it went out at 113 mph. What’s funny is that I saw that exit velocity yesterday when he hit the homer, and I thought to myself, “Man, that’s crazy high – but I guess they always seem high these days,” and I shrugged a little.
Shame on me! That was actually a notable homer. My bad.
Bryant’s big game yesterday boosted his slash line to .277/.402/.534 with a 143 wRC+, just shy of the 149 he posted last year as the MVP. Maybe it hasn’t felt like it to you, given all the other noise, but Kris Bryant has been great at the plate once again this year.
And his good friend and compatriot Anthony Rizzo has been nearly as good, and he sent out his own blast yesterday as the game wound down:
One more for the road. #TeamRizzo pic.twitter.com/VWHPL5nMlx
โ Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 16, 2017
The best part of that homer, by far, is seeing that Rizzo can still destroy a poorly-located pitch even when he’s massively choking up with two strikes. Not every player can do that, but Rizzo is special. The ball wound up going 418 feet!
Speaking of special, check out this slow-mo fan capture of the Rizzo homer from behind home plate. The sound is amazing:
@BleacherNation thought you might like this slow mo of Rizzo's HR today. Excuse my yell sounding like a siren. pic.twitter.com/jVhDveOm4Y
— Michael Gramola (@Gramola89) July 16, 2017
That homer was number 22 for Rizzo, who is tied with Bryce Harper(!) and Scott Schebler(?) for the 7th most in the NL. Rizzo is hitting .257/.380/.514 with a 130 wRC+.