Chicago Cubs Pull Off Feat Not Seen in Almost 100 Years

The red-hot Chicago Cubs are ending August on a historic tear.

Aug 30, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Chicago Cubs right fielder Cody Bellinger hits a two-run home run. / Daniel Kucin Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

Don't write their obituary, because the Chicago Cubs aren't dead yet.

After Friday night's 7-6 road win over the Washington Nationals, the Cubs have won 10 of their last 13 games. They've moved three games over .500 and have risen to second place in the NL Central, 10 games back of the Milwaukee Brewers.

While catching the Brewers would require a historic collapse on Milwaukee's part, Chicago still has a fighting chance at a playoff spot. The Cubs are five games behind the Atlanta Braves for the third NL Wild Card spot and just two games behind the New York Mets, the only team between them and the Braves.

Chicago can thank its sizzling lineup for its August surge, as its offense just accomplished something that had never been done before in MLB history.

The @Cubs' offense over the last 8 games:

98 hits
80 runs
43 XBH
18 SB
14 HR

No other team in MLB history has reached all of those numbers over an 8-game span. pic.twitter.com/V1VDU3DIwr

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 31, 2024

Over their last eight games, the Cubs have racked up 98 hits, 80 runs, 43 extra-base hits, 18 stolen bases and 14 home runs. According to OptaSTATS, no other team in MLB history has reached all of those numbers in an eight-game span.

Not surprisingly, Chicago is 7-1 during that stretch, with its lone loss a fluky 7-2 defeat to the Miami Marlins last Sunday.

Besides that, the Cubs have scored at least six runs in seven of their last eight games, reaching double-digits four times. Prior to that, they'd topped 10 runs only four times all season.

The 80 runs are the club's most in an eight-game stretch since 1935, when Chicago crossed home plate 84 times from Sept. 11 to Sept. 18. The only other seasons where the Cubs had at least 80 runs during an eight-game period came in 1929 and 1930, when MLB's run-scoring levels were historically high.

Chicago has been firing on all cylinders offensively. The Cubs are hitting, hitting for power and being aggressive on the bases, making them a nightmare for opposing pitchers and a threat to win every night, no matter the score.

Leadoff man Ian Happ has led the charge for Chicago, sparking the team's historic run. Over the last eight games, he's batted .400/.475/.686 with 14 hits, including seven doubles. He's also made an impact on the bases, swiping two bags.

It hasn't been a one-man show, however, as Happ has had plenty of help up and down the lineup. From rookie Pete Crow-Armstrong to catcher Christian Bethancourt, it's been a true team effort.

After a horrendous two-month stretch in May and June that appeared to sink their season, the Cubs have finally come alive and are playing their best baseball of the year. However, they'll need to keep it up in September if they want to play in October.