Chicago Cubs fans can be forgiven for feeling like the team is making history on a daily basis, but at the rate things are going, that assumption is pretty spot on.
That trend continued on Tuesday as Kris Bryant cracked a home run against the Cincinnati Reds. The blast was not only Bryant’s 25th of the season (which is the highest total in all of baseball), but it was also his ninth of the season in 12 games against the Reds.
That latter number is significant, because it’s one that not many Cubs players have reached against a single opponent in a year. In fact, Bryant is just the fifth Cub to hit nine or more home runs against a single opponent since 1960, according to Christopher Kamka of Comcast SportsNet Chicago.
The other four names on the list are pretty high-profile. Ernie Banks hit 10 home runs against the Philadelphia Phillies in 1960, and Dave Kingman hit nine against the New York Mets in 1979.
Sammy Sosa accomplished the feat on three different occasions in three different seasons, with the Milwaukee Brewers (12 in 1998), the Colorado Rockies (nine in 1999), and the Houston Astros (11 in 2001) all falling victim to the famed slugger.
The last Cubs player to accomplish the feat was Derrek Lee, who hit nine long-balls against the Reds during his excellent 2005 season.
The Cubs, who have seven games remaining against the Reds this season, could have another player join that impressive list. Anthony Rizzo has clubbed six home runs against Cincinnati this season, putting him just three shy of Bryant’s mark.
