When Seiya Suzuki got off the plane in Chicago on Monday, he headed to Wrigley Field to hit. He’d just returned from Japan, where he and his wife, Airi Hatakeyama, celebrated the birth of their first child.
“So that tells you everything about his work ethic and who he is,” said Cubs manager David Ross, who recounted Suzuki’s travel schedule the next day. “He’s a really hard worker and loves his craft. Congratulations to him and Airi-san.”
Before the Cubs beat the Phillies 2-1 on Tuesday, they reinstated Suzuki from the restricted list, where he had been transferred in a clerical move when he reached the three-day maximum on the paternity list.
They also activated catcher Willson Contreras off the injured list, optioned infielder/outfielder Jared Young to Triple-A Iowa and designated outfielder Michael Hermosillo for assignment.
Contreras, who was on the IL for more than two weeks with a sprained left ankle, served as the designated hitter against the Phillies, batting third in the order.
Suzuki wasn’t in the lineup because the Cubs still wanted to examine his hand before the game. Two weeks ago, he was hit in the hand by a pitch in the series finale against the Mets. The next game, he entered in the ninth inning as a defensive replacement. He went on the paternity list the following day.
He was on a hot streak at the time, batting .314 since mid-August, with three home runs in September.
“You saw when he got locked in, the timing looked better [and] he was all connected in the box mechanically,” Ross said. “And you saw more aggressive swings, right-center, left-center power. That’s the guy that he knows he is and we believe he is. So, just being that player consistently is what I know he works hard on.”
Stroman stellar again
Right-hander Marcus Stroman (5-7)practically skipped as he jogged toward first base and threw an underhanded toss for the final out of his start. He held the Phillies to one run through seven innings — his fourth quality start this month and third in a row. He gave up just four hits: Bryce Harper’s RBI double and three singles.
Rookie Christopher Morel homered for the Cubs in the third, and catcher Yan Gomes hit an RBI double in the seventh.
The Phillies are the only team with a winning record on the Cubs’ schedule in the last three weeks of the season. The last winning team the Cubs faced was the Mets, whom they swept in stunning fashion.
That’s a wrap for Madrigal
Ross made it official Tuesday.
“He’s done,” he said of second baseman Nick Madrigal, who has had a snakebit season, making just 59 appearances.
Madrigal has been on the 10-day injured list for 2½ weeks with a strained right groin. He also did IL stints for a strained left groin and a strained lower back.
