On this Day in 2016: Ross hits career home run no. 100, Lester twirls gem
Five years ago, the Cubs embarked on a historic journey that will go down as one of the most impactful seasons in professional sports.
Throughout 2021, we’re taking a look back at some of the best moments from the incredible 2016 campaign.
Next up: David Ross hits career homer no. 100
The lasting image of David Ross’ 2016 season is undoubtedly him being carried off the field when the Cubs won the World Series in Cleveland. But Ross had his fair share of highlight moments throughout the course of the season, like when he hit the 100th home run of his career in a 6-2 Cubs’ win over the Phillies.
Tied 1-1 in the 4th inning, Jorge Soler hit a leadoff home run to start the inning and then the Cubs put a pair of runners on with 1 out. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Ross crushed a 3-run home run to left field off Adam Morgan, as he hit the century mark in his career. It was the fourth of the season for Ross who would go on to hit 10 home runs that season.
Ross was making the start behind the plate as Jon Lester took the mound for the Cubs. Lester twirled a gem of his own, striking out 7 Phillies in 6.1 innings of work. Lester allowed 6 hits, 2 walks and 1 earned run in the win as he improved to 5-3 on the season with a 2.48 ERA.
Fun Facts
- Lester and Joe Maddon presented Ross with a pair of gifts to commemorate his milestone home run.
#Cubs Lester presented Ross with bottle of champagne and Maddon gave him bottle of wine after hitting HR No. 100
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) May 27, 2016
- The Cubs had 3 home runs off Morgan, the third coming from Kris Bryant in the 5th inning
- Former MVP Ryan Howard played in the game for the Phillies. He came in as a defensive replacement in the 7th and finished 0-for-1 with a Trevor Cahill strikeout.
- There’s a quirk in the pitching lines in this game; Pedro Strop officially made an appearance but had 0 batters faced and 0 innings pitched. He entered the game in relief of Lester with 1 out in the 7th inning, threw one pitch to Freddy Galvis before a downpour fell on Wrigley Field. After a 56-minute rain delay, the action resumed, and Maddon turned to Cahill to pitch in relief.