Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman clobbered three home runs and drove in a career-high seven runs on Wednesday night, powering a 12-6 blowout victory over the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park and continuing a torrid offensive surge for his new club.
When a player signs a lucrative five-year, $175 million deal in January, expectations follow every swing. That narrative shifted decisively on Wednesday night in the nation’s capital.
Video Room Adjustments and the Swing Flaw That Sparked History
The transformation did not happen by accident. On Monday night during the Cubs off-day, Bregman dove deep into video archives, pulling up footage from a decade ago before he even reached the Majors, including old Double-A video from Corpus Christi. Working alongside Ben Martin, an assistant director of Major League development with the Cubs, Bregman studied KinaTrax metrics to diagnose a mechanical flaw in his swing.
The video session revealed that his hips and shoulders were disconnected at the start of his swing, with his shoulders closed off while his hips remained open. Armed with that specific correction, Bregman spent Tuesday and Wednesday putting the plan into motion. The adjustments paid immediate dividends on the field.
“It’s a credit to how he works every single day, and is just relentless with his search to be himself and to be the best version of himself. He will never give you an inch on that.”
Craig Counsell, Cubs manager
Power Display at Nationals Park
Bregman served as the designated hitter and manufactured a career night by launching three separate home runs against Washington pitching. After drawing two walks in his initial plate appearances, he launched a sweeper from Jake Bird into the visitors’ bullpen in left field for a three-run blast in the fifth inning.
In the sixth, he pulled a two-run shot off rookie Yovanny Cruz. He capped his evening in the eighth by sending an elevated fastball from Trevor Williams into the Cubs bullpen. The performance marked the first three-homer game of Bregman’s major league career and his ninth career multi-homer contest.
Record Books and Rare Franchise Company
The offensive explosion pushed Bregman into several historical ledgers.
He also joined an exclusive franchise club as the 29th player in Cubs history to hit three home runs in a single game. Teammate Dansby Swanson achieved the same milestone earlier this season against San Diego on July 1. According to research via ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, Bregman and Swanson are the first set of teammates in the National League since RBIs became an official statistic in 1920 to each record a game with at least three homers and seven RBIs in the same season, matching American League pairs from the Yankees in 1995 and 2025.
Surging Numbers and Postseason Ambitions
The offensive surge extends far beyond a single night in Washington. Dating back to July 27, when Bregman borrowed Swanson’s bat to collect four hits against the Cardinals, his numbers have climbed dramatically. Over that 16-game span covering 74 plate appearances, Bregman has slashed .388/.419/.776 with six home runs, eight doubles, 17 RBIs, and 19 runs scored.
Wednesday’s victory brought the Cubs record to 71-50, placing them 21 games over .500 and pulling them within three games of the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers. Chicago has now captured eight of its last nine games and secured nine consecutive road series victories.
Series Finale on the Horizon
The Cubs will look to complete a series sweep on Thursday afternoon at Nationals Park. Chicago right-hander Kevin Gausman, carrying a 6-10 record and 4.29 ERA, is scheduled to face Washington right-hander Cade Cavalli, who enters with a 9-5 record and 3.57 ERA, as the road trip concludes.
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