NEW YORK — When it comes to Wednesday’s doubleheader between the Cubs and Mets, call it “The Dansby Swanson Show.”
His bat did a lot of talking in those two games at Citi Field. In the second game, which Chicago won, 10-5, Swanson drove in four runs. In the first game, the Cubs’ shortstop plated seven runs in a 10-6 victory. During the first three games of this series, Swanson has 15 RBIs, the most by any player in a set against the Mets.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell has been in professional baseball since 1992, and he doesn’t recall seeing a series like the one Swanson had against New York.
“The driving in the runs, I’m not sure I have [seen it before],” the skipper said.
Swanson is also the first MLB player to reach 15 RBIs in a series since 2016, when Danny Espinosa of the Nationals tallied as many against the Reds from June 30-July 3. On top of that, he’s the first Cub to tally at least four RBIs in three straight games, which is tied for the longest streak since the stat became official in 1920.
“We didn’t execute against [Swanson],” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “In the past couple of days, a lot of pitches right down the middle, and you know big league hitters. You know they’re going to make you pay for it. Big situations, and we just didn’t execute.”
By the sound of his voice, one could tell that Swanson was living the dream. In fact, he was honored to have his name put in the Cubs’ record book. His 11 RBIs Wednesday were the most by a Cub in a single doubleheader, surpassing the previous high of 10 set by Ron Santo on July 6, 1970, against the Expos.
“Just hearing some of the names you get put next to is pretty special,” Swanson said. “Anytime you can be mentioned with guys like Ernie Banks and Ron Santo, that’s almost like a dream come true. Just having your name next to those guys is amazing and special. I’m very grateful.”
Swanson didn’t recall having a day like the one he had against the Mets, although he did tease Counsell earlier in the day about having a seven-RBI game against the Brewers on July 31, 2021. Counsell was the skipper of Milwaukee that day, while Swanson was a member of the Braves.
“It’s one you dream about,” Swanson said. “You get a doubleheader in The Show, you go, ‘Man, this is as close as you can get.’ I’m very grateful.”
It was Swanson who played a huge role in the Cubs taking the lead in the top of the sixth inning. The game was tied at 4 with Mets left-hander Brooks Raley on the mound. After Pedro Ramírez led off with a double, Swanson tripled over the head of right fielder Brett Baty to bring home Ramírez all the way from first base and give the Cubs a one-run lead. Swanson then scored on a groundout by Matt Shaw to increase the lead to 6-4.
The Mets would make it a one-run game in the bottom of the inning when Bo Bichette hit a solo homer off right-hander Gavin Hollowell. But Swanson wasn’t done for the night. After the Cubs padded their lead thanks to the help of multiple Mets errors, Swanson capped his dominant day with a two-run single in the ninth that removed any drama from the contest, right before stealing second for good measure.
Swanson wasn’t tooting his own horn; he gave credit to the entire lineup. The bottom of the order, which includes himself, Ramírez, Nico Hoerner and Carson Kelly, went a combined 10-for-20 with seven RBIs and scored all 10 runs.
“In just the last few days, Nico is taking some strong aggressive swings,” Swanson said. “He is a special player. Just seeing him continue to work and fight for the right things, it’s so fun to watch. He is one of my favorite players.
“Just good at-bats up and down. It’s a relentless pursuit by our guys one through nine today. They are making [the Mets] pay for some of the defensive mistakes.”
Source link
