The Cubs didn't just beat the Brewers on the final night of August, they buried them. Chicago's lineup put up crooked numbers from the first inning on, and by the time it was over the scoreboard looked like a typo. Nico Hoerner got it started with a homer that on-screen graphics marked as his 8th of the season, and the Wrigley crowd never really sat back down.
The Cubs just score runs
But the real story was Alex Bregman turning Wrigley into his personal batting cage. He hit his first two homers early, then kept going, and it snowballed into the kind of night that gets replayed on highlight shows for a week. This wasn't Bregman's first taste of a multi-homer explosion this month either — he had his first career three-homer game on August 12 against the Nationals, going 3-for-3 with 2 walks, 3 homers and a career-high 7 RBI in a 12-6 Cubs win, becoming just the second Cub to do it this season after Dansby Swanson's effort against San Diego. Barstool Sports called this one his second three-homer game of August.
Alex Bregman with his 3rd HR of the night!
Bregman signed a 5-year, $175 million deal with Chicago back in January, and nights like this are exactly why the front office made that bet. He's been especially locked in the second half, and having a bat that can single-handedly change a scoreboard is a luxury for a Cubs team that's been trying to separate itself in a crowded NL race. It also doesn't hurt that Craig Counsell, who spent nine seasons managing the Brewers before taking the Cubs job, got to watch his old team get run off the field by a lineup he now oversees.
Naturally, the internet found a scapegoat for Milwaukee's misery — or a hero, depending on who you ask. Big Cat pointed the finger at stevencheah, claiming the Cubs fantasy owner has some kind of cosmic pull on Bregman's power surges.
Cheah is going to take credit for another Bregman 3 homer night. I just know it. We had our fantasy draft this morning. Connect the dots. Cheah did it again
Whether or not Cheah actually has anything to do with it, the Cubs will happily take the results. Bregman's bat has quietly turned into one of the more dangerous forces in the league this summer, and if he keeps stacking multi-homer nights like this one, Chicago's lineup is going to be a problem nobody wants to see in October.