WASHINGTON -- It had been a month since Ian Happ's last home run.
Entering the Cubs’ series finale against the Nationals on Thursday night, it had been 16 games -- and a stint on the 10-day IL with a left oblique strain -- since Happ had gone yard on May 5 vs. the Giants at Wrigley Field.
Happ rectified that drought, though, crushing a sixth-inning long ball for some key insurance runs in Chicago’s 7-1 victory over Washington to secure the series win at Nationals Park. It was also Happ’s first home run on the road since domestic Opening Day on March 27, when he went yard in Arizona.
Earlier in the game, Happ hit a run-scoring double to mark his 500th career RBI. It set the tone for the rest of his game -- particularly that home run.
“Felt really good,” Happ said. “Getting closer and closer every day, and so to click a few and finally see a few balls find grass felt really good. I mean, that double felt good, but the homer -- that’s the swing I’ve been looking for for a while.”
“Long ball” is an apt description for the blast Happ sent into the third deck just inside the right-field foul pole at Nationals Park, an area so rarely hit into that the Nats have red seats to designate where home players have walloped homers.
Happ also had a stellar outfield assist, nabbing Robert Hassell III trying to leg out a double -- one of two key outfield assists from the Cubs’ contingent.
“It’s funny, we talk about tagging a lot,” manager Craig Counsell said. “We show some plays on it to the guys and we did a great job with it tonight. They’re big plays, I mean, they turn base hits into outs, and we turned two extra-base hits into outs.”
“I feel like Ian’s making those throws all the time,” Colin Rea said. “His accuracy is very good. ... Just to be able to get those outs was huge in those situations, I mean, that can change a game right there. So you know, big, big plays right there.”
Back to the homer, though, which traveled a Statcast-projected 405 feet, the longest home run he’s hit this year -- granted, it was also his fourth homer of the season. But there will be plenty of time for Happ’s power to heat up, particularly considering that -- as leadoff hitter -- Happ’s role is often to get on base for those power hitters behind him.
“Look, Ian’s going to get going left-handed,” Counsell said. “And you know, we haven’t had the power that we normally see from Ian, but it’s going to come. And it’s almost kind of a good sign for this team that we haven’t had a lot of it yet, because it’s going to come. And so he had some good swings tonight, sure. Big night, and great to see it.”
Sometimes, though, getting on base and coming home a few batters later isn’t enough. Sometimes, Happ wants to drive himself home.