Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch joined a legendary list on Saturday in Cincinnati.

With his 30th home run of the season against the Reds, Busch became the fifth primary first baseman in Cubs history to hit that many in a year — joining Anthony Rizzo, Derrek Lee, Fred McGriff (2002) and Ernie Banks.

“It’s pretty cool. Any individual accomplishment is cool, but at the end of the day, it helps the team,” Busch told reporters following the Cubs’ 6-3 loss to the Reds. “I think that’s kind of what we’re here to do, but those little things are pretty cool.”

The Cubs haven’t seen a first baseman hit 30 home runs since Rizzo in 2017 (32). The Cubs legend and recent retiree did so in four consecutive seasons beginning in 2014. Kyle Schwarber was the last Cub with a 30-home run season in 2019.

“Coming over here, you heard a lot of Rizzo and what he meant to this organization,” Busch told reporters of succeeding Rizzo.

Lee, a recent Cubs Hall of Fame honoree, hit 30 home runs three times with the Cubs: In 2004 (32), 2005 (46) and 2009 (35).

Banks hit more than 30 home runs in seven of his 19 seasons, all of which were with the Cubs. However, only two of his 30-homer seasons came as a first baseman (1962, 1968) as he began his career playing shortstop.

McGriff achieved the feat in his one full season with the Cubs after being traded from Tampa Bay midway through the 2001 season.

Busch now sits at a table that includes Cubs royalty. To say that he exceeded expectations to become the Cubs’ mainstay at first is an understatement.

When the Cubs acquired Busch from the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the 2024 season, they were taking a chance on a 26-year-old rookie who managed just a .167/.247/.292 (.539 OPS) slash line in 81 plate appearances in 2023. He was originally billed primarily as a third baseman, playing just 10 total innings across four games at first base for the Dodgers.

But the Cubs moved Busch to first base immediately and he hasn’t looked back since. In 2024, he started 130 of his 152 games for the team at first, slashing .248/.335/.440 (.775 OPS), and his 21 home runs were tied for second-most on the team. His bWAR of 2.8 made him the sixth-most valuable player on the roster.

Now, Busch is having a career year in just his second full MLB season. His .833 OPS is second-best on the team behind Kyle Tucker (.854) and ranks 13th among the entire NL. He’s hit the second-most home runs among all MLB first basemen and his 82 RBI rank him fourth in that position pool. He earned NL Player of the Week honors back in July after a week in which he became the first Cub to hit three home runs in a game at Wrigley Field in over a decade.

“I’m happy for Michael — it’s an important home run number for guys to hit,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters in Cincinnati. “It’s a testament to him just getting better. That’s an exciting development for the Cubs and he continues to have a wonderful season.”