New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger had a magical night on Friday.
Facing his former team, the Chicago Cubs, Bellinger went yard three times at Yankee Stadium to fuel an 11-0 blowout victory for New York. Per MLB.com’s Bill Ladson, Bellinger became the “first player in MLB history to hit three home runs in his first game against a former team.”
It was also the first time Bellinger hit three home runs in a game in his career. The 2019 National League MVP nearly had a fourth homer, too, but was robbed by Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker.
Nonetheless, it was an historic day for Bellinger, who turns 30 on Sunday. He also extended his hitting streak to 16 games and is now batting .406 over the course of the streak. After Friday’s epic performance, Bellinger entered Saturday with a .285/.340/.498 slash line to go along with 16 homers and 54 RBI in his first Yankees season. Bellinger can opt out of his deal in the fall.
But contract speculation shouldn’t be anywhere near Bellinger’s thoughts as he basks — at least momentarily — in the glow of Friday’s career moment.
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Per Ladson, “Bellinger became the 29th player in Yankees history to hit at least three homers in a regular-season game (40th time) and the third this season — Aaron Judge on March 29 vs. Milwaukee and Domínguez on May 9 at the Athletics.”
Bellinger also took his first curtain call on Friday at Yankee Stadium after the third homer.
