Chicago Cubs Slugger Smashes Record-Breaking Homer vs. Oakland A's Closer

Chicago Cubs slugger Ian Happ made MLB history with his clutch bomb against the Oakland A's.

Sep 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ hits a solo home run against the Oakland Athletics. / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The faster pitches come in, the faster they go out.

That was certainly the case on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field. The Chicago Cubs came up short in the middle game of their three-game series against the Oakland Athletics, falling 4-3.

The loss knocked the Cubs six games back in the NL Wild Card race with 11 games to go, making it highly unlikely that they'll reach the postseason. According to FanGraphs' MLB playoff odds, Chicago has just a 0.1% chance of playing October baseball.

The Cubs were down 2-0 before they even stepped to the plate on Tuesday and never recovered, trailing the entire game. However, that didn't stop Ian Happ from doing everything he could to will Chicago back into the game.

Happ went 3-for-5 with two solo home runs from the leadoff spot, snapping a 21-game homerless drought with his first multi-homer game since July 4. He's now up to 25 dingers on the season, matching his career-high from 2021.

The switch-hitting outfielder put the Cubs on the board with his first homer, taking A's starter Mitch Spence deep to lead off the bottom of the third and make the score 3-1. However, it was his second long ball of the evening that made history.

With Oakland leading 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Mark Kotsay summoned his All-Star closer, Mason Miller, to finish off the game. Miller, as many baseball fans know, is one of the hardest throwers in the game, routinely topping 100 mph on his pitches.

That didn't stop Happ -- a former All-Star himself -- from launching the sixth pitch of his at-bat into the seats, cutting the Athletics' lead to one.

IAN HAPP

HR OFF 103.2 MPH

THE FASTEST PITCH HIT FOR A HR UNDER PITCH TRACKING (2008)

surpassing:
8/2/24 Josh Bell: 102.9 mph https://t.co/QY9cTnxf4i

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) September 18, 2024

The pitch Happ homered on was clocked at 103.2 mph, making it the fastest pitch ever hit for a home run since the pitch tracking era began in 2008.

That surpassed the previous record of 102.9 mph from Aug. 2, 2024, when Arizona Diamondbacks slugger Josh Bell took Pittsburgh Pirates flamethrower Aroldis Chapman yard.

Unfortunately for Chicago, Miller wasn't rattled. He retired the next two batters to shut the door, locking down his 26th save of the season. The 26-year-old stopper wrote his name in the record books as well, tying current Boston Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey (2009) for the most saves by a rookie in A's history.

Cubs fans may have gone home disappointed, but at least they got to see some history.