Ian Happ is getting hot at the plate. Here’s proof.
Entering play on Monday, the Cubs left fielder had hit only four home runs this season.
He has hit three home runs over the last two games. On Monday evening, he belted a 424-foot game-tying home run in the 8th inning.
[Cubs Takeaways: What we learned as Ian Happ sparks offense in win]
On Tuesday, he helped power the Cubs to an 8-4 win over the Phillies, providing two of the team’s four long balls. The first of his two blasts came in the third inning off rookie starter Mick Abel.
Happ’s second blast came in the 6th inning and put the Cubs on top, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
With two home runs on the day, Happ surpassed former Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant in two offensive categories on the Cubs’ all-time leaderboard. Happ’s 371 extra-base hits are now 20th best in franchise history, surpassing Bryant’s 370 extra-base hits.
Happ’s two-homer game was his first of the season and the 16th of his career. He passed Bryant’s 15 multi-homer games with the franchise and is now tied with Cubs Hall of Famer Derrek Lee for 12th all-time.
“I think we knew this was coming,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters postgame. “I think everybody had a lot of faith that this was coming … This is what makes a good team. This is what makes a good offense. Ian can kind of be not clicking, and then he gets clicking, and it wins you a game. So, it’s fun to see, and it’s why I think we’re a good offense, and it’s why we’re going to be a consistent offense.”
Before Tuesday’s contest, Happ was hitting only .167 over his last 10 games from the left side.
“I felt like the (left-handed) at-bats yesterday were better,” Happ told reporters in Philadelphia. “Swings were closer, and so to get some results today … to put that all together today felt really good.”
Happ currently has 157 career home runs and sits just three behind Bryant for 15th all-time in Cubs history.