PHOENIX (AP) — Chicago Cubs rookie Michael Busch homered for the fifth straight game Monday night, matching a franchise record.
Busch led off the second inning with his sixth home run of the season, a 419-foot drive to center field on an 0-2 pitch from Arizona Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly.
Four other Cubs players have gone deep in five consecutive games — including current third baseman Christopher Morel, who did it last year. The others are Sammy Sosa and Hall of Famers Hack Wilson and Ryne Sandberg.
“Yeah, you don’t take it for granted,” Chicago manager Craig Counsell said. “He’s off to a fabulous start as a Cub. We’re grateful to have him.”
Chicago won 3-2 in 11 innings.
All five games for Busch have come away from Wrigley Field — starting with the series finale in San Diego last week, and three games in Seattle over the weekend. The Cubs are 3-2 in those games despite scoring just 14 runs.
The first baseman is batting .327 with 12 RBIs and a .731 slugging percentage.
The 26-year-old Busch was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a January trade. He was selected 31st overall by the Dodgers in the 2019 amateur draft out of North Carolina and made his major league debut last season, batting .167 with two homers and seven RBIs in 27 games for Los Angeles.
