Up, the catcher requested.
Way up.
With two strikes and an eight-pitch battle underway, the Brewers were going to try to beat Kris Bryant with a high fastball.
Get. It. Up. Preferably on the outer half.
The pitcher did not oblige:
Ding! Kris Bryant adds some insurance. pic.twitter.com/BiT1qzlFYB
— Cubs Talk (@CSNCubs) July 30, 2017
That was a 102.5 mph laser off the bat, and although it was at the top of the zone, it was simply not up enough, and it was in a spot where Bryant could get his hands in and around, and yank the ball out.
In so doing, Bryant hit his 20th homer of the year, and set a Cubs record:
Kris Bryant: first #Cubs player to hit 20 HR in each of first 3 seasons he appeared in the Majors
— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) July 30, 2017
That’s a pretty incredible feat. You could include Billy Williams (and perhaps some others that don’t immediately come to my mind) if you caveated first three *full* seasons, since Williams was up for just 30 games split between his first two seasons.
Bryant, who also doubled in the game and had three hits last night, is hitting .279/.396/.524 on the year, with a 138 wRC+.