NL Central

This season, there’s a euphoria that has consumed Chicago Cubs fans unlike anything the city’s North Side has seen for, say, a little over 100 years.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton exited Wednesday's game against the Chicago Cubs in the first inning, according to C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer. 

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Fact: On Monday, Kris Bryant became the youngest Chicago Cubs player since at least 1913* to hit three or more home runs in a game.

*Available data only goes back to 1913.

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Kris Bryant was the College Player of the Year in 2013, the Minor League Player of the Year in 2014 and the National League Rookie of the Year in 2015.

Clearly, the guy likes to outdo himself. Maybe we shouldn't be surprised about what he's doing in 2016.

Chicago Cubs slugger Kris Bryant is one of baseball's brightest young hitters, and he demolished Dan Straily and the Cincinnati Reds in an 11-8 Cubs victory Monday.

Bryant finished 5-for-5 with three home runs, six RBI and four runs scored, which etched his name into the baseball record book, per MLB's Twitter account:

CHICAGO — Even when John Lackey is bad, he is good.

That's not to say the Chicago Cubs' starting pitcher is never off his game. But nearly every time the 37-year-old takes the mound, he is good enough to win regardless of the quality of his pitching repertoire.

The Chicago Cubs starting rotation enters Tuesday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals with a cumulative 2.34 ERA, which would be the lowest combined mark by any team's starters since 1919, per MLB Stat of the Day.

The Chicago Cubs enter Monday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals with a 12.5-game lead in the National League Central, making them just one of four teams in the divisional era (since 1969) to hold a lead of 10 or more games by June 19, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info).

 SALEM, Va. — It’s been a wondrous 53 weeks for 2015 Chicago Cubs first-round draft pick and Myrtle Beach Pelicans second baseman Ian Happ on the baseball diamond.

Sunday delivers a poignant reminder of his greatest personal loss off it.

It will be Happ’s first Father’s Day since the passing of his dad, Keith, who died in October at age 58 as a result of brain cancer.

Pitchers announcing their candidacy for the Home Run Derby is the latest trend in Major League Baseball, and St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright officially threw his hat in the ring Tuesday.