Some of this is on the Cubs (and traveling before an early day game always seems to risk a little sluggishness), but some of it was just that Gerrit Cole had an obscene fastball working yesterday. I choose to tip my cap at a guy who clearly hates the Cubs:
Gerrit Cole had 22 swings-and-misses with his 4-seam fastball today, T-2nd most with that pitch by any pitcher in a start during the last 11 seasons
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) May 27, 2019
I feel the need to reiterate how dominant Gerrit Cole was with his fastball against the Cubs yesterday.
He threw 57% four-seamers and earned 22 whiffs with the pitch.
A 39% swinging-strike rate. On a Four-Seamer. With a 57% usage rate.
This is DUMB.
— Pitcher List (@PitcherList) May 28, 2019
A whole lot of those swings and misses came courtesy of Javy Baez, who was DH’ing (presumably to give his heel some more rest), and struck out five times. I didn’t realize how rare that has been in the last 10 years:
Javier Báez: first 5 strikeout game by a #Cubs hitter since Báez did it July 25, 2017 against the White Sox. Before that, it was Ted Lilly on June 30, 2008 against the Giants.
— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) May 27, 2019
Javier Báez is only the second Cubs player in the last 100 seasons with multiple 5-strikeout games, Sammy Sosa had 3.
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) May 27, 2019
WOW. And now are you ready for the really, really big WOW? Because WOW:
Yikes: Of the 14 swings Báez took today, he swung and missed 13 times and fouled one pitch off. The 13 swings and misses in a single game are the most by any player in the last 10 seasons. (@ESPNStatsInfo)
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) May 27, 2019
Yeah, so apparently a 98 mph fastball at the top of the zone with elite spin is as kryptonite as it gets for Javy, which I actually think a lot of us could have guessed.
The good news is that Baez is not the kind of guy who is going to get down on himself about a game like that:
Javy Baez on striking out 5 times: "After my third one I (said) 'you can throw me a beach ball today and I won't hit it.'"
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) May 27, 2019
Don’t bet against him to rebound. Javy bein’ Javy:
When informed the last Cub to strikeout five times in a game before Baez on Monday was Baez two years ago, Maddon said:
"What'd he do the next day?"
He hit a homer.
— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) May 28, 2019