Morning Marquee: Kris Bryant sets franchise record for RBI by a rookie

Rookie slugger Kris Bryant not only helped the Chicago Cubs sweep yesterday’s doubleheader from the Philadelphia Phillies, but he put himself in the record books as well.

Bryant left St. Louis only needing one RBI from setting a new franchise record by a rookie in that department.

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Both Billy Williams (1961) and Geovany Soto (2008) sat at the top of the list with 86 prior to the 23-year-old coming through with an RBI double midway through Game 1 which scored Austin Jackson from second.

Soto won N.L. Rookie of the Year that season as he finished with 23 homers, 86 RBI, two triples, 35 doubles and 141 hits while slashing .285/.364/.504 through 494 at-bats.

Bryant struck out in back-to-back at-bats with Adam Morgan on the mound for the Phillies to open up Game 1, finishing the game with a total of three which bumped the stat up to 171. This leads the National League.

Kyle Schwarber – who didn’t start behind Jake Arrieta – got the offense going by launching a solo home run on the first pitch of the at-bat. He followed that up with a two-run shot to left-center field and began trotting around the bases with a dirty uniform.

The camera wasn’t on him at the time, but it looked as if he slipped over first base. All you could hear was Len Kasper laughing while doing play-by-play as he approached home plate and even the bat boy was sharing a laugh with the rest of the dugout who greeted the lefty with a swarm of high-fives.

Bryant later followed that up with a two-run shot to center field to grab the team lead in runs batted in with 90. He’s officially two ahead of first baseman Anthony Rizzo who doubled in the game and later came around to score.

His 24th big fly of the season is second best in Joe Maddon‘s lineup as he trails Rizzo five. There’s still plenty of time to chase that mark as he hopes to be the second Cub since Soto to win Rookie of the Year honors.

Yesterday’s win really helped them get back on track and still sit behind the Pittsburgh Pirates by two games.

Here’s more from around the league:

Cubs Recap: Jake Arrieta picks up 19th win vs Phillies‘ – Cubbies Crib

Chad Bettis, Dustin Garneau lead Rockies to victory in Seattle‘ – Rox Pile

Tampa Bay Rays Game 140: Another rally vs Tazawa‘ – Rays Colored Glasses

Oakland Athletics: Do fans prefer swag or passion‘ – Swingin’ A’s

Kansas City Royals bullpen implodes in 14-8 loss‘ – Kings of Kauffman

Next: Schwarber's two homers completes DH sweep

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