Patrick Wisdom has had some incredible home runs in his breakout rookie season. But there may not be one as impressive as the one hit launched in Game 1 of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Rockies.
The Cubs were looking for a big swing from their third baseman in the 5-3 win over Colorado and he provided one in the fifth inning. With the game tied at 2, the offense went on the attack. First baseman Frank Schwindel tripled into the left field corner followed by a Matt Duffy walk and bringing Wisdom to the plate.
“I knew his name coming through the minor league system,” said Zach Davies, who threw 4 2/3 innings in Game 1. “Especially being in the same division, knowing what type of player he is, and finally getting an extended opportunity to prove that he’s a big-league player. … “That guy in the lineup at any moment can change the game.”
Wisdom hadn’t had the best afternoon up to that point against Rockies starter Austin Gomber with a pair of strikeouts in his first two at-bats on sliders. Gomber had a similar approach in the third at-bat and with a 1-1 count he challenged Wisdom with another slider. But this time, he didn’t miss it.
The Cubs’ third baseman crushed a hanging slider onto Waveland Ave. and nearly hit the building across the street. The 438-foot blast would not only give the Cubs a 5-2 lead, but it was also the game-winner.
“I think the power is real. We’ve talked about that a lot,” manager David Ross said. “21 homers now and has been holding down the middle of my order for a while with really big hits. … He’s doing a lot of good things in a lot of different moments.”
The three-run shot added to Wisdom’s NL rookie lead in homers with 21. While it will be tough to catch Reds second baseman Jonathan India, he’s certainly given himself a chance to finish in the Top-5 of NL Rookie of the Year balloting.
Ross doesn’t have a vote for the award, but he isn’t hiding who he’d cast his ballot for if he did.
“I really had a vote, I’d vote for my guy,” Ross said with a smile. “If it was yours, I would probably be unbiased, but if it was actually mine, I would imagine I’d vote for Wisdom.”
