Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo played a key role in the team’s victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, and in doing so he put himself into a remarkable place in team history.
Rizzo hit his 30th and 31st home runs of the season on Wednesday as the Cubs cut their magic number to just one in the National League Central race. He also had three RBI in the game, giving him 101 on the season and matching his total from a season ago.
With 30-plus home runs and 100-plus RBI this season, Rizzo has now become just the second left-handed hitter in Cubs history to reach both of those milestones in multiple seasons. He joins Cubs legend Billy Williams in that category, as the Hall of Fame outfielder accomplished the feat three times in his career.
Unfortunately for Williams, he didn’t win the MVP award in any of those seasons. Even when he slugged 42 home runs and drove in 129 RBI for the Cubs in 1970, he still finished in second place in the MVP race, losing out to Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench.
Rizzo could potentially have the same fate befall him this season, as teammate Kris Bryant is considered to be one of the favorites for the award.
h/t to the Baseball Reference Play Index for the statistics for this story.
