3 Takeaways After Dansby Swanson's 11 RBI Day Helps Cubs Down Mets Twice

The Chicago Cubs have certainly made a statement at Citi Field over the past two days.

The Cubs (43-37) beat the New York Mets (34-46) 10-5 in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader to sweep the twin bill and win the first three games of the four-game set. They won Game 1, 10-3.

The man behind that madness was Dansby Swanson, who went on a 5-for-9 tear to drive in 11 runs over the two games.

Here are three things we learned from a big day of Cubs baseball!

Dansby's Big Break

Jun 24, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson (7) rounds the bases after hitting a grand slam home run during the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Swanson's struggles at the plate have been pretty well-publicized.

In what's been the worst offensive season of his career, Swanson entered the series in New York with the worst batting average (.183) among 152 qualified hitters in MLB.

But Swanson became a different animal as soon as he set foot in Queens. In Tuesday's opener, he went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI.

Dansby Swanson so far in this series (3 G):

7-for-12
3 HR
2B, 3B
15 RBI

🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/eAkYEHWF4l
— MLB (@MLB) June 25, 2026

In the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader, he bested himself, racking up seven RBI on two home runs — the second of which was a grand slam! That gave him three home runs and 11 RBI over a stretch of two games. He only managed two home runs and 10 RBI in his previous 47 games combined.

Naturally, Swanson continued his tear into Game 2. He collected four more RBI on three hits, including a triple. That brought his total to 11 driven in on Wednesday and 15 RBI in the first three games of the series.

Dansby Swanson has driven in ELEVEN RUNS in the @Cubs doubleheader 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ergNnvnYli
— MLB (@MLB) June 25, 2026

It's safe to say Swanson left his mark in the Cubs' history books with his performance. He became the first player with 12+ RBI in a three-game series since Shohei Ohtani in 2024, and his 15 RBI in three games are the most by a Cub in a series since Sammy Sosa in 2002.

Dansby Swanson (13 RBI) is the first player with 12+ RBI in a 3-game series since Shohei Ohtani vs MIA Sept. 17-19, 2024
Most by a Cubs player in a series since Sammy Sosa Aug. 9-11, 2002 vs COL
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) June 25, 2026

New York Knocks

Jun 24, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly (15) reacts after racing first base on an error during the fourth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

It could just be the Mets' struggles as a whole (they did make six errors in Game 2), but it's more fun to believe that the Cubs have figured out this whole hitting thing on the road trip.

Over the first three games of the series, the Cubs amassed 29 runs on 28 total hits.

Aside from Swanson, Nico Hoerner and Pedro Ramirez each racked up three hits of their own in Game 2. Hoerner had three doubles on Wednesday night and has gone 5-for-13 (.384) in his last three games.

For a team that has largely struggled with runners in scoring position, the Cubs have made sure to capitalize on those chances at Citi Field — they've gone 14-for-41 (.341) so far in the series.

The team as a whole is hitting .232 with RISP. That's fifth-worst in MLB this year, and it's been the weight dragging them down for much of their cold streak. But forget a cold streak for now — the Cubs are playing some pretty fiery baseball because they've begun to look like the excellent situational hitting team that they truly should be.

Cubs: first time scoring 10+ Runs in each game of a doubleheader since May 21, 1944 against the Boston Braves.
— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) June 25, 2026

Things Were Going So Well...

Jun 24, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Shota Imanaga entered his start on Wednesday riding a bit of a positive trend: he went his two previous starts without allowing a home run, the first such two-start stretch since April 26 and May 2.

With the way the Mets have been performing at the plate, it seemed like Wednesday was the perfect opportunity to continue that streak for a third consecutive start.

Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez didn't get that memo, because he clobbered a chest-high fastball into left-center field in the bottom of the 2nd to tie the game at 1 apiece. Two batters later, rookie outfielder A.J. Ewing took Imanaga deep again — this one a towering, 420-foot two-run blast that left his bat at 104.7 mph.

In the 4th inning, Mark Vientos tied the game with a 416-foot solo shot. He has now allowed three or more home runs in four of his 16 starts this season.

Imanaga's day was done after 5.1 innings, his final line tagged with four earned runs on four hits, four strikeouts, and one walk. His ERA stands at 4.40 on the season through 92 innings of work.

Coming Up Next

Apr 27, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Matthew Boyd (16) delivers during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The Cubs and Mets will meet for the finale of the four-game set on Thursday at 6:10 p.m. CT.

Matthew Boyd (2-1, 6.00 ERA) will make his long-awaited (and sorely-needed) return to the mound following a minor meniscus operation and subsequent seven-week IL stint.

Right-hander Freddy Peralta (5-6, 4.83 ERA) is slated to start for the hosts. Peralta is coming off a career-worst start in Philadelphia in which he allowed 10 earned runs on as many hits in just 2.2 innings.

Following the conclusion of the Mets series, the Cubs will head to Milwaukee for a major divisional test against the Brewers beginning Friday.

Sign up for our free newsletter to stay up-to-date with all things Chicago Cubs.

Add us as a preferred source on Google