Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs Catcher Victor Caratini Joins Exclusive Club With Clutch Home Runs

Caratini hit home runs from both sides of the plate in Wednesday's Cubs game

In a back-and-forth battle with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night, Chicago Cubs catcher Victor Caratini joined a remarkable club with his big performance.

Caratini, who got the start behind the plate with Yu Darvish on the mound, hit home runs from both sides of the plate in the game, including a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning of the game.

That remarkable feat of switch-hitting is one thing, but according to NBC Sports Chicago’s resident historian Christopher Kamka, it’s actually a rare feat in the history of the Cubs.

According to Kamka, Caratini is just the sixth Cub in team history to hit home runs from both sides of the plate in the same game. The last Cubs player to accomplish the feat was infielder Ian Happ, who did it in May of 2018.

Augie Galan, Ellis Burton, Mark Bellhorn, and Dioner Navarro have also gone deep batting both left-and-right handed in the same game for the Cubs, with Bellhorn and Burton each accomplishing the feat twice in their careers.

Perhaps making the accomplishment even more remarkable, Caratini missed time earlier this season after breaking his left hamate bone. Fans will remember that Caratini broke the bone during an at-bat and then later doubled into the gap in that same at-bat.

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