Cubs Hit Franchise-Record 9 Home Runs at Wrigley in 17-3 Rout of Brewers

WRIGLEYVILLE — The Chicago Cubs hit nine home runs at Wrigley Field Monday night, a franchise record, in a 17-3 blowout of the Milwaukee Brewers that turned a divisional rivalry game into batting practice.

The nine homers tied for the second most ever hit by one team in a single major league game. Seven different Cubs hitters went deep, led by third baseman Alex Bregman, who hit three home runs. Bregman became the first Cubs player since Aramis Ramirez in 2004 to hit three home runs in a game more than once in the same season.

The Cubs came out swinging in the first inning, hitting back-to-back home runs, then added another in the second. By the time the Brewers trailed 10-2 in the seventh inning, Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy turned to position player Andrew Vaughn to pitch, a move teams are allowed to make once a lead reaches eight runs or more. Vaughn, the former White Sox first baseman the Sox traded to Milwaukee last season, lobbed pitches to Cubs hitters and gave up three of the nine home runs himself.

Outfielder Tyrone Taylor hit a two-run homer in the first inning as part of the early outburst. Pete Crow-Armstrong, who entered the night second in Major League Baseball in home runs and had hit five over his previous two games, did not add to his total. The Cubs won big without him.

Weather nearly delayed the first pitch. Afternoon thunderstorms with lightning threatened the 6:40 p.m. start, but the skies cleared in time for the game to begin on schedule. High heat and humidity, combined with a wind blowing out toward the bleachers, made the ball carry well past the outfield walls for most of the night.

The rout capped a record-setting month for the Cubs offense. Chicago finished August with 62 home runs, a National League record for homers in a calendar month.

Outside the ballpark, Murphy's Bleachers, the bar next to Wrigley known for posting predictions on its marquee before games, had called the outcome before first pitch, putting up a sign reading "Brewers fall flat. Cubs pour it on."

Fans in the bleachers broke into "Green Bay Sucks!" chants over the course of the night, playing on the Wisconsin rivalry that extends beyond baseball. MLB's social media account leaned into the same joke after the final out, posting "Bears 17, Packers 3" alongside the box score. White Sox fans took their own shot at the outcome, noting that Vaughn, a former first-round pick by the South Side team, was on the mound giving up home runs for Milwaukee rather than hitting them.

The win did little to change the standings. The Brewers still hold a seven-game lead over the Cubs in the National League Central and own the best record in baseball. Monday's game was the first of seven meetings between the two teams over the next 10 days.

The two teams play again Tuesday night at Wrigley Field.