In blowout win, Ian Happ, Pedro Ramirez become third-ever Cubs duo to hit grand slams in same game
SEATTLE – Ian Happ had a chance to join a mighty exclusive baseball fraternity.
Only 13 players in major league history have hit two grand slams in the same game, and after banging a salami off the foul pole in the third inning Sunday, Happ strolled to the plate with the bases loaded again in the eighth.
He drew a bases-loaded walk instead of becoming the latest member of the club.
But two batters later, infielder Pedro Ramirez shot himself and Happ into the franchise record book, hitting a four-run homer of his own as the duo became the third pair of Cubs hitters since at least 1910 with grand slams in the same game.
For the nostalgia buffs out there, the previous pairs were Brian Dayett and Keith Moreland, on June 3, 1987, and Matt Duffy and Frank Schwindel, Sept. 5, 2021.
More than geeking out over the feat, however, the Cubs were more focused on the offensive day as a whole. They throttled the Mariners, winning 19-2 and putting the same kind of hurt on this team their division rivals did a few days earlier, when the Brewers scored a 22-0 victory.
Happ’s slam came after three straight two-out walks against M’s starter Bryce Miller, who walked seven after coming in with just one game with more than four walks in his big league career.
It was an explosive way to salvage a win in the series after losing in walk-off fashion on Friday and Saturday.
“We did a really good job the first couple games of this series, and scored [five runs Friday and four Saturday] but had opportunities to score more,” Happ said. “When we have days like that, it feels like one of these is coming. That’s how good the offense has been this year.”
Despite being a prime target of frustrated fans lately due to poorer-than-usual production, particularly against left-handed pitching, Happ has quietly had a really nice couple weeks overall, hitting .298 with a .389 on-base percentage, four homers, nine RBIs and nine runs scored in his last 14 games.
Civale steps up
Lefty starter Shota Imanaga got a quick hook after struggling early in Sunday’s game, lifted after the first two Mariners batters reached base in the bottom of the third inning.
After the game, the Cubs were ecstatic about the relief performance they got from righty Aaron Civale – four scoreless innings of one-hit ball – who has quietly excelled out of the bullpen since joining the team last month.
In nine appearances, Civale has a 1.80 ERA and has eaten innings as one of the team’s several long relievers, a stockpile that allowed manager Craig Counsell to be confident removing Imanaga in what was then a three-run game with seven innings to play.
“It’s pounding the strike zone, that’s what he’s done so good in the bullpen,” Counsell said of Civale. “There’s no walks, so you’ve got to get a hit to get on base against him. He’s done a fabulous job of that. … He’s been really effective in that role.”
See you in Williamsport
The league announced Sunday that the Cubs will take on the Blue Jays in next year’s Little League Classic on Aug. 19 in Williamsport, Pa.
The game has been held almost every year since 2017, except 2020, in connection with the Little League World Series and offers young players a chance to interact with major league stars.