The Cubs had the privilege and honor of welcoming the Cincinnati Reds to Wrigley Field last night to open a four-game set, and they rolled out the red carpet.
A red carpet made of runs and dingers!
… that was bad, Brett. Log off.
Anyway, in the process of railing the Reds, the Cubs eventually burned through a sufficient number of Reds pitchers, and extended the lead by enough that it became position-player-pitching time. Doing the honor was infielder Scooter Gennett, who had a fun sidearm delivery.
But Javy Baez cares not for a fun sidearm delivery, and Javy Baez went boom:
Baez supplied all the power on that one, and it was a 106 mph rocket down the line.
The shot was Baez’s 18th on the year, and second in as many days. His season line now stands at .272/.312/.498, which is good for an even 100 wRC+, making him – after park and league adjustments – a league average bat. Given his defensive value and versatility, plus his baserunning ability, that’s a mighty valuable player.
And, of course, he’s a lot of fun:
Here’s a fun fact: although that was Baez’s 18th homer, the guy off of whom he hit it actually has more home runs this season. Gennett hit his 20th homer earlier in the game.