WEST SACRAMENTO -- Asked his thoughts about the Cubs¡¯ impending home opener on Friday at Wrigley Field, outfielder Seiya Suzuki had a question of his own.
¡°Is Chicago warm yet?¡± Suzuki asked via interpreter Edwin Stanberry after Wednesday¡¯s 10-2 win over the Athletics at Sutter Health Park.
It isn¡¯t. But Suzuki sure is.
He slugged a pair of home runs, including a three-run blast in the second inning, to power the Cubs to a three-game sweep of the A¡¯s in West Sacramento.
A day after admitting he wanted to be less passive at the plate, Suzuki jumped on a first-pitch fastball from A¡¯s lefty Jeffrey Springs with two men aboard in the second. He crushed it over the left-center-field wall for a 112.9 mph, 401-foot home run.
¡°I love it when he¡¯s aggressive,¡± starting pitcher Jameson Taillon said. ¡°He¡¯s got some crazy pop. I love it when he gets a swing off because he can do what he¡¯s doing. He¡¯s an impact bat for us.¡±
Suzuki has recorded multiple hits in each of his past four games, and all four of his homers in 2025 have come in that span -- including a three-run blast to center on Tuesday and an opposite-field solo shot in the fourth on Wednesday.
Add in a walk and an RBI single, and Suzuki is positively scorching after beginning the season 1-for-14 at the plate. He¡¯s now hitting .275 with a .958 OPS this season.
¡°He¡¯s a big part of our offense, so getting him off to a good start and getting him confident just bodes well for the rest of the season, for sure,¡± Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. ¡°He¡¯s in a good spot.¡±
Suzuki leads the Major Leagues in strikeouts with 17 so far this season, so his recent surge has been a key development for Chicago. He knows he¡¯s prone to struggles despite being a disciplined hitter -- perhaps too disciplined.
¡°I think one of my characteristics is when I¡¯m not going well, I¡¯m too selective, so just keeping that approach of staying aggressive,¡± Suzuki said after the middle game of the three-game set on Tuesday.
Watching teammate Kyle Tucker take at-bats has certainly helped. Tucker¡¯s four-game home run streak ended in an 0-for-3 afternoon with two walks Wednesday, but Suzuki said having Tucker in the lineup has been an asset for his own development.
Now, with both outfielders in a groove, the rest of the Cubs can sit back and watch the show.
¡°Him and Tucker going at the same time lets everyone else relax at their spots in the lineup,¡± Taillon said of Suzuki. ¡°They can carry a lineup by themselves, and then you have everyone else doing their job and working counts and getting on base. It¡¯s going to be tough for pitchers. It¡¯s a deep lineup.¡±
That deep lineup totaled 35 runs in three games in West Sacramento -- tied for the ninth-most runs the Cubs have ever scored in a three-game series, according to STATS.
Much of that damage came against the A¡¯s top starters: Chicago hung six runs (five earned) on Luis Severino in six innings Tuesday before tagging Springs for five runs (four earned) in three innings in the series finale.
¡°I thought we did a great job,¡± Counsell said. ¡°Those guys are good starting pitchers, and they both had a great first start. I was very pleased with our offense and our approach this series.¡±
Counsell was also pleased with Taillon, who navigated a tough second inning and shook off a two-run homer by Brent Rooker in the third to deliver a quality start. The right-hander bounced back from a poor first outing in Arizona to pitch six innings, strike out seven and induce 19 swings and misses against the A¡¯s -- his most whiffs in a game as a Cub.
Taillon¡¯s outing and Suzuki¡¯s offensive efforts set the tone as the Cubs closed out a nine-game trip to Tokyo, Phoenix and West Sacramento with a winning record. After going through Opening Day ceremonies for the Tokyo Series and the D-backs¡¯ and A¡¯s home openers, they¡¯re definitely ready to kick things off at the Friendly Confines on Friday afternoon against the Padres.
¡°This is our last Opening Day ceremony, and it¡¯s going to be the coolest,¡± Taillon said. ¡°I¡¯m really excited to get back to Wrigley.¡±
Even if it¡¯s not warm yet.