The Cubs extended another 10-game streak on Friday, marking the franchise’s first two-game hitting streak since 1935.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Make it 10 straight for the Chicago Cubs. That’s twice in one season – the first time in nine decades.
Ian Happ extended his on-base streak to 29 games, Michael Busch hit a three-run double and the Cubs snapped their second 10-game hitting streak of the year with a 7-1 win over the Texas Rangers on friday night.
It’s the first time since 1935 that Chicago has had two 10-game winning streaks in one season. The only time the Cubs had more was in 1906 with four.
“That means you’re doing something that’s very rare, and I think we understand that,” manager Craig Counsell said.
The 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers were the previous major league team with two 10-game winning streaks within the first 39 games of a season, according to Sportradar. They did it in their first 24 games.
“Baseball is a game of a ridiculous amount of stats and things to look at, so any time you have to go that far, it’s definitely a good sign, especially for a positive like that,” Chicago second baseman Nico Hoerner said. “We’re just going to keep it moving.”
These Cubs have done it pretty quickly, too, with a pair of 10-game winning streaks through May 8.
“That’s a crazy sentence,” Hoerner said.
Milwaukee had two winning streaks of at least 10 games last season en route to winning the NL Central title and finishing five games ahead of Chicago.
The Cubs have the best record in the majors at 27-12 and have won 20 of their last 23 games, with three straight losses separating them. long winning streaks.
“If you break it down to little things, it’s just coming in and playing a good game today, and we played a really good game today, a really good game, certainly with good pitch, a lot of pressure in a bunch of innings,” Counsell said. “It’s been a recipe for a lot of wins.”
When the Cubs went on a 10-game hitting streak in 1935, Hall of Famer Gabby Hartnett was the NL MVP and Charlie Grimm the manager as he hit 100 games. The only time they’ve done that since was the 2016 World Series championship year, when they won 103 games in the regular season.
“Two double-digit hitting streaks in one season, that sounds pretty wild to me,” said Ben Brown, who threw four hitless innings in his first start of the season after 12 relief appearances.
“That’s credit to all the lads at the club, all the coaches, all the trainers, the sporting staff,” he added. “That’s a few hurdles to think about how talented this team is. It’s special to be a part of, it’s special to witness, it’s special to watch.”
By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Baseball writer
Subscribe to our free newsletters
Our weekly newsletter Closing arguments provides the latest on ongoing trials, major litigation and decisions in courts around the US and the world, while monthly Under the lights feeds legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.
