All the Cubs needed was a little home cooking, some summer-like weather, and home runs by Kyle Schwarber, rookie Ian Happ, Addison Russell and Anthony Rizzo to get back on track and give manager Joe Maddon a milestone win.
Schwarber smacked a 462-foot home run, Happ hit his second homer in three games, Russell led off the seventh with a blast, and Rizzo launched a solo shot in the eighth to lift the Cubs to a 9-5 victory Tuesday night over the Reds and give Maddon his 1,000th career win. It was Chicago’s third win in its last 10 games, while Cincinnati lost its fourth in a row.
“It was a perfect ending,” said Maddon, who raised a glass of red wine during his postgame media session and then was toasted by his players.
Maddon is the 63rd manager to reach 1,000 wins, and the eighth active skipper to do so, joining the Giants’ Bruce Bochy, the Nationals’ Dusty Baker, the Angels’ Mike Scioscia, the Orioles’ Buck Showalter, the Indians’ Terry Francona, the Pirates’ Clint Hurdle and the Royals’ Ned Yost.
“To the players who have been a part of this, I want to say, ‘Thank you,'” Maddon said. “You don’t do it without the players.”
The weather at Wrigley Field was more to Maddon’s liking than the last home game, May 7, when it was 43 degrees. A 20-mph southwest wind favored the hitters, and the 87-degree game-time temp made it feel like summer. It also resulted in tough outings for veteran starters John Lackey and Bronson Arroyo of the Cubs and Reds, respectively. Lackey threw 104 pitches over 5 1/3 innings, lasting long enough for the win.
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