CHICAGO — Twenty-one years ago, a power surge rippled through the Chicago Cubs.

That surge came in the form of Moises Alou, Aramis Ramírez, Sammy Sosa and Derrek Lee — each of whom hit 30 or more home runs to cap off their 2004 season.

Two decades flew by, and not a single group of Cubs could match what those four did all those years ago.

That was until Friday, when three new names etched themselves on that list: Michael Busch, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki.

Crow-Armstrong’s two-run shot in the fourth inning got the party started. He made history along with it, becoming just the second Cub after Sammy Sosa to record a 30-home run, 30-stolen base season.

Busch, who joined the 30-home run club last weekend, launched his 32nd home run of the year the following inning.

Lastly, and perhaps most emphatically, was Suzuki, who crushed a grand slam in the seventh for his third home run in two games.

When all was said and done, the trio contributed eight of the Cubs’ 12 runs in their win over the St. Louis Cardinals. For manager Craig Counsell, it’s a testament to how all three have shown up all season.

“I think the big thing it means is that they’re out there a lot. You’ve got to be out there a lot to do that,” Counsell said. “Obviously, it’s offense, you know, it’s scoring runs.

“It’s hard to get three guys that have that level of (offense), and we got three of those guys in the same lineup. That’s the reason why we’re a good offensive team.”

When Busch reached the 30-home run mark, he was the first Cub to hit that many since Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber in 2019.

Now, in a season that’s seen the Cubs reach 90 wins for the first time in seven years and the playoffs for the first time since 2020, it only makes sense that two more would join Busch on this upward trajectory.

Crow-Armstrong certainly sees that growth in himself.

“I think it just means that I’ve improved over the last few years. I think that’s what I’m selfishly most proud of, is in my own development,” he said of reaching 30 home runs. “(I’m) just seeing a bit of a progression each year that I’ve been playing pro ball.  I would say it’s just a nice culmination of some years and many more to come.”

It wasn’t exactly an easy road for Suzuki, who hadn’t hit a home run since Aug. 6 before exploding for two on Thursday and one Friday. A breakout at the right time, however, could bode very well for the Cubs as the playoffs near.

“Overall, you know, the timing is good. I feel like, besides the homer, the other bats, the results weren’t great,” Suzuki said via his interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “I feel like if I can just maintain that consistency, I think it’ll be good.”

Suzuki, of course, was far less hesitant to shower his teammates with praise.

“It’s a treasure that I can cherish forever,” he said of reaching the 30-home run milestone with Crow-Armstrong and Busch. ” I think I can tell my kid that these guys are going to continue to be great. And so I can say, you know, ‘I was teammates with them,’ and just kind of brag about it.”