Ian Happ's Extremely Rare Game Was Only The 5th In MLB History

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The hot start to Ian Happ’s MLB career with the Chicago Cubs cooled down fast and his performance against the New York Mets on Tuesday night was a microcosm of his first 100 plate appearances in the Big Leagues.

The Cubs smacked five home runs against the Mets, including Happ’s first career grand slam that highlighted a seven-run, second inning. The opposite field blast was Happ’s sixth home run of the season, but he also struck out four times. The rookie could have been the first player ever to hit a grand slam and strike out five times in a game, but Happ walked in his sixth plate appearance.

Nonetheless, Happ joined a unique list with his grand slam and four strikeout game, as it was only the fifth time to happen in MLB history. According to Baseball Reference, Reggie Jackson did it twice in 1982 and 1985, Cory Snyder in 1987, Mark Teixeira in 2003 and most recently before Happ, Derek Norris accomplished the feat in 2015.

Much has been made about Kyle Schwarber’s extreme outcomes this season, with 20 of his 35 hits being either a double or home run, while striking out 72 times and drawing 33 walks. Yet, Happ’s numbers are equally jaw-dropping. The rookie has 18 hits and 12 of them have been for extra bases, six homers, five doubles, one triple, and he’s struck out 37 percent of the time.

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So, that game against the Mets was essentially THE Ian Happ game. Power, strikeouts and a walk. But hey, if the Cubs keep scoring 14 runs and hitting five home runs a game they can strikeout all they want.