The Cubs hit the line with heavy punches to repel the pirate champion Skins and showed his offensive strength with three strikes in a single game

Pirates superstar Paul Skenes has quickly become the center of attention for baseball fans around the world over the past two seasons, generating a frenzy of attention every time he lands on the board — and the fireball right-hand shooter certainly deserves that expectation. That's why the Cubs were all the more valuable when they hit a career-high three-home run in a single game in Thursday's 8-3 win.

In the tiebreaker of a three-game game at PNC Stadium, the Chicagoans proved themselves to have one of the most terrifying offensive combinations in the major leagues.

After hitting a number of powerful flying balls in the first four games and picking four saves to no avail, the Cubs exploded in the fifth game. Three heavy punches knocked Skins straight back – the first time this season that he exited under five innings, and only two strikeouts hit a career-low low.

Dansby Swanson continued his first three-hitter run of the season on Wednesday night when he blasted a Spinns finger ball into the outfield stands with his opening hit. After two outs, Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki hit back-to-back shots, sniping four-seam fastballs and 3-0 knuckles respectively to complete the lead. This is the first time in Skins' career that he has been hit by three home runs in a single game, and what is even more exaggerated is that it is all concentrated in a single inning.

Two innings later against Kyle Nicolas, Suzuki sent a miss-slip ball to 400 feet out of left field to complete a two-point double – the fifth more multi-hit game in his career and seal the win.

"He's a real power hitter," Cubs coach Craig Counsell said, "with the perfect swing mechanics and incredible explosiveness, that's the answer." "

Suzuki hit 12 hits and 5 hits in this series, contributing 3 hits and 5 RBs, and the season OPS rose to 0.990 (temporarily ranked fifth in the major leagues). He said through translation Edwin Stanberry: "Since landing in the major leagues in 2022, my strength has increased significantly. There are a lot of strong fighters around me who motivate me to keep improving, and the way I train is very different from what I did in Japan. "

Conseil added: "He's confident now. Once any hitter is in the groove, he can accurately catch the missed shot and apply punishment. His second hit was particularly crucial today. "

Despite missing chances in the first four games, Conseil believes the three saves he picked in the third game were a turning point: "We insisted on not chasing bad shots, forcing Skins to change tactics. He used a lot of speedballs today, but he was patient on the line. With a speedball pitcher, we don't have to sacrifice the discipline of picking the ball in order to keep up with the fastball... This forced him to throw in a good belt, reduce his control accuracy, and eventually deliver the red ball. "

The Cubs ended their campaign in April with a franchise-high six players hitting more than five in a single month. Despite missing a penalty lap on Wednesday night, Thursday immediately responded with heavy punches.

"The strategy against Skins was perfectly executed," Conseil concluded, "with patience and quality shots. The first four innings were really frustrating, but the ejection of battering coach Dustin Kelly in five innings may have boosted morale. Perhaps the early consumption laid the groundwork for his subsequent collapse. "

Although the shine is often overshadowed by giants such as the Yankees and the Dodgers, at least for now, the Chicago line has earned equal respect for its strength.