Cubs Break Franchise Record with 8 HRs vs. Cardinals, Michael Busch Hits 3 HRs

The Chicago Cubs set a franchise record by hitting eight home runs in a single game on Saturday against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals, with first baseman Michael Busch smacking three of them and All-Star starting center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong providing two more in an 11-3 victory.

Busch's solo shot in the bottom of the seventh set the record and put the Cubs up 11-1.

"Especially to do it at Wrigley Field," Busch told reporters after the game. "It's really cool. I think that was my first three homer game, ever. That's one game I'll never forget."

The Cubs' single-game homer mark also tied a record for the most on the Fourth of July, previously set by the 1977 Boston Red Sox.

Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly and Dansby Swanson also hit home runs for the Cubs.

It was a rough day for Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas, who gave up six earned runs and 10 hits (six homers) in six innings. Relief pitcher John King then allowed homers to Swanson and Busch in the seventh.

St. Louis did get a homer courtesy of Brandon Donovan, who hit a solo shot in the top of the fourth. The Cardinals added another pair of runs in the ninth, but the Cubs' power barrage was far too much for St. Louis to overcome.

This marks the third time in history that a Cub has hit three homers in a single game against the Cardinals. Remarkably, all have occurred on July 4, per ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

With the win, the 53-35 Cubs improved to 4.5 games ahead of the second-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. Chicago is now third in the majors with 133 home runs behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. Suzuki leads the team with 24, with Crow-Armstrong right behind with 23. Busch now has 17 after his three-homer game, tied with Kyle Tucker for the third-most homers on the team.