Bregman Belts 3 Homers, Drives in 7 as Cubs Cut Brewers Lead to 3 Games

Q: How did motion-capture data instantly transform Alex Bregman into a historic home-run hitter for Chicago?

Motion-capture data helped Bregman make a precise mechanical fix, and the payoff was immediate: after a late-night review with Cubs assistant director of Major League development Ben Martin, he realigned the timing of his swing and erupted for the first three-homer game of his career. The key finding came from KinaTrax data and video comparisons stretching back to Bregman’s earlier seasons, including Double-A Corpus Christi. The Cubs’ staff identified that, during his load, Bregman’s hips were opening while his shoulders stayed too closed, leaving his body out of sync. That disconnect was affecting his timing and limiting how well he could cover different parts of the strike zone. By getting his hips and shoulders better aligned, Bregman said he could move through the zone more consistently. He went straight to the cage the next day with that adjustment in mind, and the results showed up almost instantly: a homer Tuesday, then three more Wednesday against Washington, along with two walks and a career-high seven RBIs in a 12-6 Cubs win. The outburst was historic for Chicago. Bregman became the first player in Cubs history to record at least two walks and three home runs in the same game. It also reinforced that this was more than a one-night fluke: since July 27, he has been one of baseball’s hottest hitters, batting .388 with six homers and 17 RBIs, helping push the Cubs within three games of the NL Central lead.

3 articles · Updated · Chicago Tribune · Aug 13

Alex Bregman delivered the first three-homer game of his career and a career-high seven RBIs in Chicago’s 12-6 win over Washington, pulling the Cubs to within three games of Milwaukee.
Late-night video work with assistant Ben Martin helped trigger the outburst: Bregman said adjustments to his shoulder and hip alignment sharpened a swing that had already shown signs of progress.
Chicago’s offense kept piling on with four two-out runs, lifting its MLB-leading total to 241 in those spots; the Cubs have scored 10 or more runs 17 times and are averaging 7.1 over their last nine games.
The lineup also stayed dominant against left-handed pitching, working five walks off Nationals debutant Jackson Kent and adding three runs off lefty reliever Tom Cosgrove.
At 71-50 and a season-high 21 games over .500, the Cubs are surging behind a deep lineup that already produced another three-homer, seven-RBI game this year from Dansby Swanson.