Chicago Cubs infielder Jeimer Candelario made his official return to the North Side on Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds, and he made some history along the way.
Candelario, acquired from the Washington Nationals earlier this week, was a driving force behind the Cubs’ offensive barrage, as the team scored 20 runs in a blowout victory at Wrigley Field.
Playing first base and batting sixth, Candelario went 4-for-5 with a pair of runs scored in the victory, and in doing so, he wrote his name into the team’s record books.
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According to ESPN Stats and Info, Candelario became the first Cubs midseason acquisition since at least 1900 to record four hits in his debut with the club.
Of course, a 20-run outburst can lead to all sorts of other history, and this game was no exception. The team scored 20 runs for just the second time in the last 20 years in the victory, and accomplished that feat against the Reds for the first time since 1937.
Perhaps most impressively of all, the Cubs hit a total of seven home runs, with Dansby Swanson leading the way with a pair of long balls. That outburst tied a Cubs record for home runs in a single game, matching a feat they’d only achieved on three other occasions.
MLB
Candelario and the Cubs will resume their series on Wednesday night against the Reds, with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m.