Today’s comeback win against the Cardinals – it’s fun when the comeback happens in the very same inning as the other team taking the lead, eh? – was capped off by an Anthony Rizzo RBI single*. Rizzo is very good, and thus there is nothing shocking about him driving in the winning run.
What made that RBI single remarkable was the fact that the man he scored was on first base when the pitch came to home plate. That man, Kris Bryant, who just returned today from a hand injury, is very fast.
Enjoy (via @Cubs):
Two-out hustle. #ThatsCub pic.twitter.com/Uw6nNKfDDZ
โ Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 22, 2017
That was a thing of beauty. *OK, so Rizzo was technically credited with a double on that one, as he kept going straight to second on the throw, but that was really more of a single, wasn’t it? I’m calling it a single.
With a 3-2 count and two outs, Bryant was going with the pitch, so he was going to go first to third without issue no matter what. But the thing is, as soon as he saw where that ball was blooping, he was thinking of scoring before he even touched second base. I love that, because he could start setting himself up for an effective turn at third base as early as possible. Moreover, it looked like Dexter Fowler was caught a little off guard by Bryant’s aggressiveness and speed – come on, Dex, you know better – so his throw to the plate was awkward (though it was actually a really good throw).
Cubs win. Cubs win. Cubs win.