The Cubs' offense didn't just beat up on the Mariners on Sunday night, it turned the game into a track meet. By the time it was over, Chicago had run the score up behind the kind of night that gets a rookie's name trending: Pedro Ramirez went deep with the bases loaded twice.
PEDRO RAMIREZ GRAND SLAM! Two touchdown lead for the Cubs! https://t.co/d7OcAtdybV
That graphic isn't just a cute stat. Cubs fans remember that 2021 date well: a wild 11-8 win over the Pirates where Matt Duffy and Frank Schwindel each hit grand slams in the same game, part of a slugfest that tied an MLB record for combined slams in a single contest. Doing what Duffy and Schwindel needed two men to pull off in one game, by yourself, is a different tier of absurd.
Ramirez got to the majors in May as Chicago's No. 2 prospect, a switch-hitting infielder out of Venezuela who was slashing well over.300 with pop at Triple-A Iowa before the call-up. He's since carved out a real role on the roster, and nights like this are exactly why the Cubs kept finding at-bats for him.
The slams weren't the only fireworks. Pete Crow-Armstrong got the party started early with a home run off the bat in the bottom of the 1st, sending the Sicker Field crowd into it before the game was even out of the first inning.
PCYA LATER BASEBALL!!!! https://t.co/4eTbJieavY
By the time Chicago's bats settled down, teammates were mobbing each other near third base in the kind of delirious celebration that only happens when a laugher turns into a legitimate blowout. It's the sort of scene that gets a guy a nickname overnight — and MVPETE has a nice ring to it.
MVPETE!!! https://t.co/QMD2px86kR
For a Cubs team looking for reasons to be excited down the stretch, a night like this is a gift. Ramirez was already trending as a breakout piece of the roster; two grand slams against a divisional-race opponent just turned that whisper into a shout.