SI:AM | Cubs Cap Record-Setting Month With Nine-Homer Game

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. Who else is excited that we’re officially in the final month of MLB’s regular season?

In today’s SI:AM:
🏈 NFL breakout candidates
⚾ What the Dodgers need to fix
1️⃣ CFB conference power rankings

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Clobbering Cubbies

Fans at Wrigley Field have been going home with a lot of souvenirs lately.

The Cubs blew out the Brewers at home last night, 17–3, as Chicago mashed nine home runs. That brought the Cubs’ total number of homers in August to 62, the most in a calendar month by any team in NL history. The previous record was held by the Braves, who hit 61 in June 2023. The overall record belongs to the 2019 Yankees, who hit 74 in August of that year.

Seven different Chicago hitters had a homer, including third baseman Alex Bregman, who had three for the second time in his career. His first three-homer game was on Aug. 12. The Cubs did most of their damage against Milwaukee starter Kyle Harrison, who gave up nine runs and five homers. Reliever DL Hall surrendered one dinger, and the other three homers came off of first baseman Andrew Vaughn, who pitched the final two innings. (“The position-player stuff gets a little ridiculous at the end there, honestly,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters after the game.)

The Brewers still have a healthy seven-game lead in the division, but the Cubs’ outburst was a reminder of what will make them dangerous come October. Chicago has the most potent offense in the majors, averaging an MLB-best 5.38 runs per game. Last night was its 20th game this season with at least 10 runs, also the most in the majors. And it’s hit 196 homers this season—you guessed it—the most in the majors.

It’s not just MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong who’s powering the offense, either. PCA has 38 homers this season, second in the majors behind Kyle Schwarber’s 40, but he’s just one of four Cubs hitters with at least 20 homers this season. Bregman and Ian Happ have 23, while Seiya Suzuki has 24. The Cubs and the Braves are the only teams with records over .500 this season who have four 20-homer hitters.

The Cubs’ chances of a deep playoff run will depend heavily on their beleaguered pitching staff, though. Chicago ranks 14th in the majors in team ERA (4.14), and while it made rotation and bullpen upgrades a focus at the trade deadline, not much has changed. Cubs pitchers also had a 4.14 ERA in August, which ranked 18th in the bigs. The pitching struggles might make a World Series less likely, but at least we can look forward to some fireworks on the North Side.

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The top five…

… things I saw yesterday:
5. Roman Anthony’s perfect slide to score the tying run for the Red Sox on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth. (Boston went on to win in the 10th.)
4. The friendliest putout you’ll ever see. The Mariners’ Dominic Canzone hit a grounder back to Red Sox pitcher Payton Tolle, who proceeded to give Canzone a hug rather than just tagging him out.
3. The most unlikely soccer goal you’ll ever see. Goalie Pete Jameson of Gateshead (in England’s fifth tier) booted a clearance down to the other side of the pitch and it bounced over the head of the opposing keeper for a goal. Unfortunately for Jameson, he then let in two goals and his team lost.
2. This hilarious clip of Lois Boisson smashing her racket in the background while Emma Navarro celebrated her first-round win at the U.S. Open.
1. Orioles center fielder Colton Cowser’s stunning robbery of what would have been a walk-off homer for the Rockies. It might be the best home run robbery of the season independent of context, and the fact that it turned a loss into a win makes it all the more special.

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