Fastball

Chicago Cubs' Offense, Christian Bethancourt Explode in Historic Sweep Over Pirates

Christian Bethancourt racked up a record-breaking seven RBI in the Chicago Cubs' comeback win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, helping his team make history with a dominant sweep.

Sam Connon

Aug 28, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (rear) greets catcher Christian Bethancourt (60) crossing home plate on a two run home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the seventh inning at PNC Park.
Aug 28, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (rear) greets catcher Christian Bethancourt (60) crossing home plate on a two run home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the seventh inning at PNC Park. / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

The Chicago Cubs did more than just stage a miraculous comeback against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.

They completed a sweep, hung around in the Wild Card race and made history in the process.

Chicago trailed Pittsburgh 10-3 through six innings on Wednesday, at which point they scored twice in the seventh and three times in the eighth. In what was suddenly a two-run game, the Cubs blew up for six more runs in the ninth and went on to win 14-10.

The victory came off the back of an 18-8 win on Monday and a 9-5 win on Tuesday.

According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, the 41 runs the Cubs put up against the Pirates are the fourth-most they've scored in a three-game series since 1901.

The franchise record remains at 47 runs, which they set against the Pirates in 2019. The only other times the Cubs have scored over 40 runs in a three-game series came in 1930 against the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Braves, respectively.

Rookie center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong did plenty of damage out of the No. 8 spot in the lineup, making history in his own right, but the Cubs' No. 9 hitters set some records of their own.

On Monday, it was catcher Miguel Amaya, who became the first No. 9 hitter in Cubs history to have four hits and four RBI in a single game. On Wednesday, catcher Christian Bethancourt broke Chicago's single-game record for RBI out of the nine hole with seven, per TSN's StatsCentre.

Bethancourt had an RBI groundout in the second, then a two-run home run in the seventh. A two-RBI double in the eighth and a two-RBI single in the ninth not only brought the Cubs back from the dead, but they also helped the veteran catcher do something no No. 9 hitter in franchise history had done before.

Amaya and six others had previously shared the record with five RBI apiece.

The Cubs are now 68-66, which puts them 5.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves for the third and final NL Wild Card spot. Chicago has Thursday off, but will open up a series against the Washington Nationals on Friday at 6:45 p.m. ET.

Follow Fastball On SI on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.

Published
Sam Connon

SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.

Home/History