Christopher Morel’s home run tear makes history originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Chicago Cubs utilityman Christopher Morel got off to a blistering start in the minor leagues and he hasn’t stopped slugging since being called up, and he has landed himself in some elite company.
Morel came into Tuesday’s game with eight home runs in his first 11 appearances this season, and he’s now 9-for-12 after launching a home run 383 feet in the seventh inning of the contest.
According to MLB’s Sarah Langs, Morel’s nine home runs in his first 12 games are tied for the second-most by any MLB player since at least 1900, matching Luis Gonzalez’s start to the 2001 season and Larry Walker’s opening barrage in 1997.
Only Mike Schmidt’s 11 home runs in 12 games for the 1976 Philadelphia Phillies best that group.
The fun doesn’t stop there. Morel has now hit a home run in five consecutive games, tying a Cubs record with that streak. The feat was last achieved by Sammy Sosa in 1998, which equaled streaks by Ryne Sandberg (1989) and Hack Wilson (1929).
Needless to say, if Morel can match some of the accolades of those players this season, he’d be in great shape. Sosa hit 20 home runs in the month of June during that season, an MLB record, and ultimately clubbed 66 home runs for the wild card-winning Cubs.
Sandberg’s 1989 Cubs also made a playoff appearance, winning the National League East, and Wilson set an MLB record with 191 RBI’s during the 1929 season, leading the Cubs to a World Series berth.