Outfielder Seiya Suzuki has been a notable focus for the Chicago Cubs this year, hitting .245/.344/.432 in 41 MLB games ahead of Monday and living up to at least some of the hype that accompanied his offseason signing from Japan. But Suzuki had been out of the major-league lineup for the past five weeks with a finger injury, only making his big-league return Monday against the Milwaukee Brewers. And he did that in style, thumping a go-ahead inside-the-park home run in the top of the ninth inning off Brewers’ star reliever Josh Hader.
Go-ahead inside-the-park home run for Seiya Suzuki! pic.twitter.com/hLqj5Idd4i
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 4, 2022
That’s an impressive drive off the left-center wall from Suzuki, but what’s really impressive is the baserunning speed he shows off here. Yes, some of this was about Brewers’ outfielder Jonathan Davis not correctly projecting where the bounce would come and having to chase after it, but Davis got off a good throw to the cutoff man here, and the Brewers certainly would have had a play at the plate on a slower runner (if the slower runner had even been sent). The eventual cutoff to home throw was too far up the line, but even a perfectly on-mark throw might not have been enough to get Suzuki. So this certainly contributed to a good return for him.
This run alone didn’t win the game for the Cubs. Suzuki’s shot here was the only run they were able to plate in the top of the ninth; Nico Hoemer doubled and then stole third, but Patrick Wisdom struck out and Yan Gomes flied out to end the threat. And Chicago then walked in a run in the bottom of the ninth, and the Brewers then scored three more in the 10th to come away with a 5-2 victory. But Suzuki’s HR here was still a notable moment in his return to the lineup.
[Chicago Cubs on Twitter; photo from Jeff Hanisch/USA Today Sports]
