Last season, Patrick Wisdom of the Chicago Cubs set the franchise record for most home runs by a rookie breaking the previous record set by former MVP Kris Bryant. Impressively, Wisdom set the new record at 28 in only 106 games played last season.
Many wondered whether or not Wisdom would be able to maintain the production seen in his rookie season. Between being a 30-year-old rookie and having a high strikeout rate, many thought his success might’ve only been a flash in the pan.
Although Wisdom currently is tied for the league lead in strikeouts (58), his offensive production has remained rather valuable to the Cubs’ offense. Wisdom leads the Cubs in both RBIs and Home Runs in 2022.
Against the Reds on Monday night, Wisdom accomplished something that a Cub has not done in several years.
Per #Cubs, Patrick Wisdom is the first Cub to homer in four-straight games since Anthony Rizzo did so from July 29-August 1, 2015.
Larry Hawley with WGN pointed out the following note: “For those wondering, the Cubs have had three instances where a player has hit homers in five-straight games, with the last coming in 1998 when Sammy Sosa did so from June 3rd through 8th.” Wisdom will have the opportunity to match this mark on Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds.
Now you may be wondering what the all-time record is for consecutive games with a homer. The current record stands at eight straight games with a homer and is shared between Ken Griffey Jr, Dale Long, and Don Mattingly.
If there’s anybody on this current Cubs roster who could flirt with that record, it’s Patrick Wisdom. Wisdom currently has 10 homers and 23 RBIs through 28 games played. If Wisdom were to maintain this pace through the end of the season, he would finish with nearly 40 homers and more than 90 RBIs. He’s currently batting only .220 and continues to strike out often. He seems to make up for it by slugging over .500.
Wisdom has been a key contributor as the Cubs continue to battle back towards a .500 record. This current series against Cincinnati will be crucial in doing so
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