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When the Cubs hit home runs for the cycle: solo, 2-run, 3-run and grand slam in the same game

Wednesday night, in their 8-4 win over the Phillies, the Cubs hit a 3-run home run in the third inning, a grand slam in the fifth and the a solo homer in the seventh.

All they lacked was a 2-run homer for a cycle: a home run with every possible number of runners on base, from 0 through 3.

So naturally I had to determine if the Cubs ever HAD homered for a cycle.

..........

To find out, I did a search at baseball-reference.com for games in which the Cubs had scored at least 10 runs and also had hit at least 4 runs, and displayed the results in reverse chronological order.

I looked at the box score for each such game, looking for a grand slam by the Cubs.

If I found one, I looked at the other home runs in that game.

And, after going through 84 games, I finally found one in which the Cubs homered for the cycle.

It happened June 3, 1987 -- and what a game it was!

..........

The Wednesday afternoon contest was the rubber game of a 3-game series between the Cubs and Astros.

The Astros had won the opener on Monday, 6-5, in 10 innings.

Then the Cubs won on Tuesday, 13-2, to improve to 29-21 for the season, good for second place in the National League East, just 2 games behind the first-place Cardinals (30-18).

The Astros were tied with the Braves for third in the NL West, 3.5 games behind the front-running Reds (29-22).

The Cubs' starting pitcher was their ace, Rick Sutcliffe, who went into the game with a 7-2 record and a 2.92 earned run average for the season. In his previous 4 starts, he had allowed only 6 earned runs in 29.1 innings, good for a 1.84 ERA.

..........

But Sutcliffe was not exactly sharp to begin the game. He walked the leadoff batter, Billy Hatcher, then surrendered a home run to the next hitter, Billy Doran.

Two batters into the game, the Cubs trailed, 2-0.

Sutcliffe walked the third batter, too. After getting a groundout, he issued another walk -- his third to 5 batters.

Jose Cruz then hit a line drive right back at Sutcliffe, who gloved it and threw to first, doubling off the runner to end the inning.

..........

Now it was the Cubs' turn to face Astros starter Bob Knepper, who went into the game 2-5 with a 6.20 ERA. In his previous 3 starts, he had lasted just 14 innings, yielding 13 earned runs, for an ERA of 8.36.

Knepper struck out Bob Dernier, but walked Ryne Sandberg.

Andrew Dawson singled Sandberg to third, then stole second. Knepper followed with a walk to Jody Davis, loading the bases for reserve outfielder Brian Dayett, appearing in only his 30th game and just his 14th start.

Dayett unloaded a grand slam to right field. Just like that, the Cubs led, 4-2.

..........

But the inning was hardly over.

Keith Moreland, up next, slammed a solo homer into the seats in left.

After Shawon Dunston lined out to center, Manny Trillo singled and Sutcliffe did the same, putting runners on the corners with 2 out.

Dernier, batting for the second time in the inning, surprised the Astros with a bunt single that scored Trillo.

Then Sandberg homered to left, making it a 9-run inning.

After 11 batters, the Cubs had a solo homer, a 3-run homer and a grand slam!

Knepper got Dawson to fly out, finally ending the barrage.

He would not return for another inning, ending the day with a pitching line of 1 inning, 9 runs (all earned), 7 hits, 2 walks, 1 strikeout and 3 home runs.

..........

The Cubs added 2 more runs in the second without homering, then added 2 more in the third, starting with a solo homer by Dawson. So after 3 innings, the score 13-2.

In the top of the fourth, Sutcliffe walked the leadoff batter, struck out the next man, then served up 2 more walks. Hatcher followed with a grand slam to left.

Dernier singled home a run for the Cubs in the bottom of the fourth, then Craig Reynolds did the same for the Astros in the top of the fifth.

A 2-run single by Garry Matthews in the Cubs' half of the sixth made it a 16-7 game.

Matthews was pinch-hitting for Sutcliffe, who departed after 5 innings, having allowed 7 runs, all earned, on 7 hits, including 2 homers, while walking 6 and striking out 3.

..........

The single by Matthews came against Astros reliever Julio Solano, who had taken over in the fifth and walked the bases loaded before being bested by Matthews.

When Solano came back to pitch the sixth, Sandberg singled, Davis smacked a 1-out double, Dayett walked . . . and Moreland hit a grand slam to center.

It was his second homer of the game, the Cubs' second grand slam of the game and the Cubs' fifth home run of the game.

But they still lacked a 2-run homer to complete the home run cycle.

..........

After Moreland's slam, Dunston singled. Trillo hit a fly ball but it was caught short of the wall in right. Ed Lynch, who had relieved Sutcliffe, struck out looking to end the inning, with the Cubs ahead, 20-7.

In the bottom of the seventh, Sandberg hit a 1-out single off Solano. Paul Noce, who had entered the game at shortstop in the top of the inning, flied to right.

Davis was due up, but Jim Sundberg pinch hit for him.

And Sundberg delivered a drive over the wall in left for the 2-run homer that completed the cycle.

It also made the score 22-7, and that is how it ended.

..........

The 22 runs were the most the Cubs had scored in more than 8 years, since their 23-22 loss to the Phillies on May 17, 1979.

They have scored as many as 22 runs only once since, in a 26-7 demolition of the Rockies on Aug. 18, 1995.

That is 1 of only 5 times since 1908 that the Cubs have scored more than 22 runs in a game. The other times, they scored 26 in a game in 1922, 24 in a game in 1945, and 23 each in games in 1954 and 1977.

They have scored exactly 22 runs only once other than the games in 1979 and 1987, doing so in a game in 1937.

..........

Solano finished his day having pitched 3 innings, in which he allowed 8 runs, all earned, on 7 hits, 2 of them homers, while walking 4 and striking out 2.

Larry Anderson retired the Cubs in order in the 8th, the first inning in which the Cubs had not scored.

Lynch and Dickie Noles each threw 2 scoreless innings for the Cubs. Because of the lopsided score, there was no save.

But Sutcliffe got the win, improving to 8-2, despite having retired only 14 of the 27 batters he faced (1 batter hit into a double play) and despite his ERA for the season jumping by 0.61 runs, to 3.53 from 2.92.

..........

The Cubs outhit the Astros, 21-9. Besides the 6 home runs, they had 3 doubles and 12 singles, plus 9 walks.

Every starter had at least 1 hit, including Sutcliffe, and every starter scored at least 1 run.

Dernier, Moreland, Sandberg and Trillo each had 3 hits; Dawson and Dayett, 2 apiece.

Davis scored 5 runs, as he reached base on a double and 4 walks, then scored each time.

Dayett also reached 5 times, on 2 hits and 3 walks.

Sandberg and Trillo reached 4 times.

Moreland had 9 total bases; Dayett and Sandberg, 6; Dawson, 5; and Sundberg and Trillo, 4. In all, the Cubs had 42 total bases!

Moreland drove in 7 runs; Dayett, 4; Sandberg, 3; and Dernier, Matthews and Sundberg, 2.

..........

The historic 22-7 win over the Astros, combined with a loss later in the day by the Cardinals, moved the Cubs to within 1 game of first place.

But that was about their high water mark for the 1987 season.

Beginning the next day, the Cubs lost 3 of 4 games in a showdown with the visiting Cardinals, scoring only a single run in each of the first 2 games. After a 6-5 win, they scored 9 runs in the final game, but the Cardinals scored 13.

The Cubs completed a homestand by taking 2 of 3 from the Mets, but then dropped all 3 in a 1-city road trip to St. Louis, falling 6 games behind.

They were 7.5 behind and in fourth place by the end of June; 10.5 games behind and in fifth place by the end of July; 13 games behind and in fifth at the end of August.

..........

A loss at home to the Pirates on Sept. 7, Labor Day, left the Cubs 68-68, including 38-47 since the 22-7 victory over the Astros on June 3.

That loss proved to be the final game as manager of the Cubs for Gene Michael, who was fired after the game.

Under his successor, Frank Lucchesi, the Cubs limped to an 8-17 finish, winding up 76-85, 18.5 games behind the division champion Cardinals and 3.5 games behind the Pirates and Phillies, who tied for fourth.

On Oct. 22, Dallas Green was fired as general manager of the Cubs, just 3 seasons after he had overseen the Cubs' first title in 39 years.

..........

As for the players who hit the home runs for the cycle in the game against the Astros:

Dawson ended the season with 49 homers and 137 RBI, leading the league in both categories and was voted the National League's Most Valuable Player, the only time the honor ever has gone to a player on a team finishing sixth or lower in the standings.

Dayett wound up with 5 homers and 25 RBI in only 177 at bats. 1987 proved to be the last of his 5 seasons in the majors, including the final 3 with the Cubs. For his career, he had only 14 homers and 681 RBI in 426 at bats.

Moreland hit 27 homers and drove in 88 runs in 1987.

Sundberg had only 4 homers and 15 RBI in 139 at bats.

And Sandberg, 3 years removed from his MVP season in 1984, ended 1987 with only 16 homers and 59 RBI.

Two years later, Sandberg would hit 30 homers, and the year after that, 1990, he would lead the NL with a career-high 40.

He would retire in 1997, after 16 seasons, the last 15 with the Cubs, and be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005. Dawson would join him in the Hall in 2010.

..........

Sandberg hit all of his 282 career homers for the Cubs. Dawson hit 174 of his 438.

But neither they, nor any other Cub batters, have combined to hit for the home run cycle in exactly 5,094 regular-season games, from June 4, 1987 through May 23, 2019!




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