Tuesday night was weird. With rain beating down the Cincinnati area, the Cubs and Reds were delayed roughly two and a half hours before being able to start. With the Reds out of contention and the Cubs fate all but decided, it should have been a forgetful night.
However, the first inning marked a number of statistical milestones for Cubs players.
Dexter Fowler lead off the game with a single. Two batters later, Anthony Rizzo was plunked for the 30th time this season. He became only the second person, joining former Cubs manager Don Baylor, to be hit by a pitch 30 times and hit 30 home runs.
[nicelink url= “http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/7/71/999191/cubs-anthony-rizzo-finds-pain-relief-making-hbp-history”]
With the bases loaded, a Tommy La Stella sacrifice fly brought Fowler home. For the center fielder, it was his 100th run scored on the season.
Fowler is tied for sixth in the majors for runs scored. This is his first time scoring 100 runs.
The fun wasn’t over. Miguel Montero came to the plate next, hitting an RBI double. The two runs that scored were Montero’s 500th and 501st RBI in his career.
— Kyle Thele (@Thele10) September 30, 2015
Because of the impressive first inning, the Cubs were on cruise control the rest of the game. The early runs paired with a strong performance by starting pitcher Dan Haren resulted in Haren’s 10th win of the season.
