Addison Russell goes Vroom Vroom, two-run blast in sixth inning put the Cubs ahead for good in Game 5 … Cubs take a 3-2 lead in NLCS with 8-4 win over the Dodgers
Addison Russell developed quite the knack of coming up with a big hit this season when the Cubs needed it. And now those hits are showing up on the biggest stage in the postseason.
Russell broke out of his slump Wednesday with a three-hit night that included his first postseason home run. Russell followed up his huge performance with an even bigger one in Game 5. Russell delivered what ended up as the game winner in the sixth inning, a two-run homer to center that broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Cubs a 3-1 lead.
Russell’s blast traveled an estimated 419 feet with an exit velocity of 104.4 mph.
In Game 5, Russell was 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI.
Back-to-back games with big home runs. @Addison_Russell talks with Tom Verducci after the @Cubs Game 5 win. #NLCS #postseason pic.twitter.com/zkjvza9pP4
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 21, 2016
Addison Russell, or Kid Clutch, joined Kyle Schwarber as the only two Cubs players 22 or younger to hit home runs in consecutive postseason games.
Russell is now on a list that includes Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Francisco Lindor and Derek Jeter as the youngest shortstops in the history of the game with multiple postseason home runs. Russell, Seager, Lindor and Correa are the only shortstops with multiple postseason home runs before the age of 23.
Russell is now 5-for-19 in the NLCS with two home runs, that’s a .842 OPS with a .263/.263/.579 slash line.
It’s safe to say that Addison Russell has stomped on the narrative that the pressure of the postseason had gotten to him. Joe Maddon stuck with him and Russell delivered in back-to-back games when his team needed a clutch hit.
Ben Zobrist said after Game 5, “The makeup of these [young] guys, they have something about them. They’re clutch guys. They’re clutch players.”