Willson Contreras is on an extra-base hit tear
Willson Contreras had quite a game in the Chicago Cubs’ 11-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field, driving in a career-best seven runs.
He hit a grand slam in the first inning, a ground-rule double in the fourth, and a solo home run in the sixth. Contreras batted with the bases loaded again in the seventh inning but this time settled for a double inside the first base line, driving home two more.
Contreras had nine RBI in 30 games before Friday, and nearly doubled his total.
.@WContreras40 is 1 of 3 catchers ever to have 4 XBH and 7 RBI in a game (@mikepiazza31, 8/27/95; George Mitterwald, 4/17/74). pic.twitter.com/Nbjaa3Pz4Q
— MLB Stat of the Day (@MLBStatoftheDay) May 11, 2018
But his hot streak actually began in the Cubs’ last game, on Wednesday against the Miami Marlins. He hit two triples and a double in that game, the first catcher with two triples in a game since Nick Hundley way back in 2011.
Coupled with Friday’s contest, Contreras has seven extra-base hits in his last two games.
Since 1913, Contreras is the 1st #Cubs player with 7 extra base hits in a two-game span (STATS Inc.)
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) May 11, 2018
Since 1908, only five catchers have had two straight games with at least three extra-base hits. Contreras is the first since the immortal Bobby Estalella in 2002.
Because we are still rather early in the season, such a hot streak can work wonders on a player’s seasonal stats. After Monday, Contreras was hitting .230/.315/.354. Now, he’s hitting .268/.343/.488. His OPS went up 162 points in just two games.