NEWSLETTER
It’s always fun when the Cubs go off at the plate, but is there a better version in the regular season than when they do it in St. Louis? Hitting bombs with the Arch in the background? Deflating the Best Fans in Baseball just a little?
The Cubs were shut out twice in Milwaukee, but they did not completely lose the ability to hit, bringing out the bats in a big way last night.
Ian Happ kicked things off by going deep to the same spot where he hit his first big league homer:
Happ 'n stands. #EverybodyIn pic.twitter.com/di22kXxJyj
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 16, 2018
That was crushed even more than it looked, going 418 feet way out to right. It was actually a bit further than his first career homer, which was against Carlos Martinez in St. Louis a little over a year ago.
Fun and perhaps surprising fact: Ian Happ’s 113 wRC+ this year matches his 113 wRC+ from last year.
Kris Bryant finally got off the schneid with a no-doubter to left:
It's delicious. pic.twitter.com/w6ChyUA8Lw
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 16, 2018
No distance available on that one, but, since he had built up month’s worth of power to unleash on that one, I’m going to say, conservatively, it was about 550 feet.
That is easily the most you’ll ever see Kris Bryant pimping a home run, by which I mean he kinda took one slow step looking at the ball before putting his head down and running. That’s how you know he felt especially relieved.
And Kyle Schwarber capped off the homer binge, and put the game out of reach, with this titanic three-run shot:
The St. Louis arch we came here to see. #EverybodyIn pic.twitter.com/Sz9MshlyZd
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) June 16, 2018
Because of the angle of that one, and Schwarber’s reaction, I actually thought at first that maybe it was just a lazy pop to shallow center. Nope.
Statcast put the Schwarber homer at 439 feet, which … no way. The Cardinals’ in-house estimate was a much-more-likely 465 feet, which was apparently the third longest at Busch Stadium ever by an opposing player.
