Nico Hoerner could join Chicago Cubs notables such as Cap Anson, Phil Cavarretta, Billy Williams, Bill Madlock, Bill Buckner and Derrek Lee if he can win a National League batting title.
After Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, in which his two-run double in the seventh inning provided the winning margin, he is hitting .299.
Only one player in the NL is hitting better than .300 — the Philadelphia Phillies’ Trea Turner at .305. And his number will stay the same for a while as Turner went on the 10-day injured list Sept. 7 with a hamstring injury. The Phillies are expecting him back for the playoffs.
Since Buckner in 1980 and Lee in 2005, the Cubs have gone dry in that accomplishment. Twenty years later, can they finally have another hitting champ?
It’s not one of his top priorities, but Hoerner said he would appreciate it nonetheless.
“It would mean a lot, of course, 100%,” the second baseman said. “It’s not something that’s going to change the day-to-day approach of things around here. It would be an awesome thing. I don’t think batting average is always the healthiest goal or a thing to prioritize on a day to day.
“But it is a product of quality at-bats and consistent contact. It would be a cool thing, for sure.”
Since Sept. 5, Hoerner is hitting .457 and owns a nine-game hitting streak.
His top priority is for the Cubs (85-64) to make the playoffs, and they moved closer to that goal Sunday. Their magic number to clinch a wild-card berth dropped to four.
The Cubs have 13 games left in the regular season. While they are 5½ games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central, the Cubs are 3½ games ahead of the San Diego Padres for the top wild-card spot. If that holds, they would host a best-of-three wild-card series at Wrigley Field.
“Obviously we are not where we want to be in the division,” Hoerner said. “That doesn’t change the approach as far as winning every day. I do think there is a point of pride at how many wins you get at the end of the year.
“I’ve been playing here awhile and (in the 2020 playoffs) I wasn’t on the field for those games. I hope we can make the playoffs and play at Wrigley.”
Shota Imanaga had a no-decision Sunday in front of a Wrigley crowd of 37,186, giving up three runs on seven hits and striking out nine in five innings. Entering the game, he had allowed six of his 24 home runs in the opening inning.
He was at it again Sunday, serving up back-to-back home runs to Yandy Diaz and Junior Caminero to start the game. He also gave up a single to former Cub Christopher Morel in the inning. But he struck out the side in the inning and allowed just one run the rest of the way.
“They were two really tough hitters,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of Diaz and Caminero. “They got Shota early and he had figure out what was going to work. He had to get it going and he had to get it going pretty fast because you are down 2-0.
“He did that. Sometimes that’s what a major-league starter looks like. You have to get enough outs to keep your team in the game.”
Starter-turned-reliever Javier Assad (3-1) picked up the win and Andrew Kittredge notched his fifth save. Ian Happ hit his 22nd home run in the sixth inning.
The Rays had a run taken off the board in the seventh when the Cubs won a replay challenge on slide interference.
As the Cubs head to Pittsburgh to start a seven-game trip Monday, the banged up outfield situation is still fluid.
Kyle Tucker is still on the injured list with a left calf strain. Backup Seiya Suzuki missed his third game with an illness and has been away from the team. He was scheduled to make the trip, although Counsell said he likely won’t play Monday.
Rookie Owen Caissie, who was called up from Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, played five innings in right that afternoon but left the game with concussion symptoms suffered from crashing into the wall while making a catch earlier in the game. He still had the symptoms Sunday morning, and the Cubs put him on the seven-day IL and called up Kevin Alcantara, who had been sent to Iowa the day before.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.