Swanson’s epic doubleheader gives him best 4-game series in Cubs history — with game left

NEW YORK (AP) — Thanks to a historic doubleheader performance Wednesday, Dansby Swanson has the best four-game series in Chicago Cubs history — with a game to spare.

Swanson had a go-ahead RBI triple and four RBIs to cap the monster doubleheader and lead the Cubs to a sweep of the reeling New York Mets with a 10-5 win.

Swanson hit a three-run homer and a grand slam in the Cubs’ 10-3 victory in the opener. The 11 RBIs in a doubleheader are a franchise record, breaking the mark of 10 set by Hall of Famer Ron Santo on July 6, 1970.

The only other player in team history with a nine-RBI doubleheader is also a Hall of Famer — Billy Williams, who did it on Aug. 21, 1968.

“A dream come true, just being able to have your name next to those guys,” Swanson said. “It’s amazing and special.”

The 11 RBIs are tied for the third-most in a doubleheader. Nate Colbert had 13 RBIs for the San Diego Padres on Aug. 1, 1972, a mark equaled by the St. Louis Cardinals’ Mark Whiten on Sept. 7, 1993.

“Dansby had an incredible day of baseball offensively, for sure,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s fun to see.”

Swanson also homered Tuesday night and has three homers and 15 RBIs in the first three games of the series, which is slated to conclude Thursday night.

The 15 RBIs are the most ever by a Cubs player in a series of four or fewer games since 1920, when the RBI became an official statistic, and are the most by a Chicago player in a series of any length since Kiki Cuyler, another Hall of Famer, had 15 RBIs in a five-game set in 1932.

The 15 RBIs over the last three games are also the most ever by a shortstop, breaking the mark of 14 RBIs set by Nomar Garciaparra with the Boston Red Sox from May 10-12, 1999. The only other Cubs player with at least 15 RBIs in a three-game span is Sammy Sosa, who had 16 RBIs from Aug. 10-12, 2002.

“I couldn’t tell you a game that I’ve had like this,” Swanson said. “It’s one that you honestly dream about.

“Just very, very grateful.”

The three-game surge snapped a lengthy slump for Swanson, who entered Tuesday hitting .178 with three homers and 14 RBIs in his last 48 games dating back to April 24. Swanson is batting just .202 with a .688 OPS this season — down considerably from his career marks of .251 and .732, respectively, entering 2026.

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“You say process, process, process and stick to it, but every player is aware of how they’re producing and helping the team,” Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner said. “He’s been so consistent and persistent. That doesn’t guarantee results, but man, does it feel good when those come through.”

Yet with 11 homers and 46 RBIs through 80 games, Swanson is more than halfway to his fifth 20-homer season and almost halfway to his career-high of 96 RBIs, set during his final season with the Atlanta Braves in 2022.

“That’s why the game sometimes, like, drives you crazy,” Counsell said. “Because if you probably look at Dansby’s season right now, it’s kind of a normal season for Dansby. Maybe the batting average is a little bit low, but probably all the other numbers are right around where he’s been the last couple years. It’s just been peaks and valleys for him.

“The good times, you’ve got to take advantage of them. And when you have days like that and you’re kind of the primary driver of offense, that’s going to win your team games.”

___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb