PHOENIX -- Michael Busch wasted little time inserting himself into the Cubs¡¯ record books.

The rookie first baseman entered Monday with a home run in each of his previous four games, one shy of a club record. But instead of teasing out the tension as he looked for a fifth homer, the 26-year-old just got it out of the way quickly.

In his first at-bat of the game, Busch blasted an 0-2 cutter from Arizona starter Merrill Kelly 419 feet into the Chase Field pool area in right-center to give Chicago an early lead en route to a 3-2 victory in 11 innings over the Diamondbacks. The Cubs have scored just 14 runs over their last five games, seven of which have come on Busch¡¯s homers.

• Most consecutive games with a home run

¡°You hit a home run in five straight games, you take notice of it,¡± said Cubs manager Craig Counsell. ¡°He¡¯s off to a fabulous start as a Cub. We¡¯re grateful to have him for sure.¡±

Acquired from the Dodgers this winter, Busch earned a spot on the Opening Day roster but started the year just 2-for-13. His power surge has helped vault him into rarified air, though -- Busch is now batting .327 with a 1.141 OPS and six home runs.

Even more elite is the company he¡¯s keeping in the record books. Only four other Cubs hitters have ever hit a homer in five straight games. One, current third baseman Christopher Morel, accomplished the feat last May. The other three -- Sammy Sosa (1998), Ryne Sandberg (1989) and Hack Wilson (1928) -- are among the greatest players in team history.

The NL/AL record for consecutive games with a homer is eight, accomplished by the Mariners' Ken Griffey Jr. (1993), the Yankees' Don Mattingly (1987) and the Pirates' Dale Long (1956). Homers in six straight games would set a new club record -- such a streak has been achieved 35 times by 33 players (Willie Mays and Barry Bonds did it twice) in MLB history, most recently by Mike Trout in 2022. Busch¡¯s new teammates like his chances to make it 34.

¡°It¡¯s been an incredible hot streak, but it comes from a very even-keeled, super consistent person,¡± said second baseman Nico Hoerner, ¡°which is why I believe in him so much.¡±

Busch was hardly the only Cubs hero Monday, however, nor the only standout rookie. Making just his fourth career big-league appearance and just his second start, flame-throwing rookie right-hander Ben Brown held the Diamondbacks to just one hit and one run over six innings.

Though he danced a bit between the raindrops -- the average exit velocity off Brown was 93.1 mph, and nine of the 15 balls put in play against him were hit at 95 mph or harder -- Brown nonetheless impressed his manager. The Cubs will have to make room for recovering starter Jameson Taillon soon, but Brown isn¡¯t likely to be shipped out.

¡°He¡¯s going to pitch for sure. We need him to pitch,¡± Counsell said. ¡°He¡¯s been so good.¡±

And then there¡¯s Hoerner -- hardly a rookie at this point, but without whom the Cubs might not take the lead in the 11th, and they almost assuredly don¡¯t tie the game in the ninth.

First, the play that kept Chicago alive. A pair of one-out singles placed Hoerner on second in the ninth inning with the Cubs down 2-1. De facto Diamondbacks closer Kevin Ginkel struck out Miles Mastrobuoni for the second out but then bounced a slider to Ian Happ that kicked off catcher Gabriel Moreno and ricocheted nearly into the visiting dugout.

Hoerner sprinted around third, waved in by third-base coach Willie Harris. Ginkel headed home to cover the plate, but just before he could apply the tag, Hoerner slid over the plate headfirst to tie the game. ¡°I was going to run until something stopped me, pretty much,¡± he said.

The game remained tied, 2-2, into extras until Hoerner struck again in the 11th. With the bases loaded and no outs against reliever Bryce Jarvis, Hoerner fell behind 1-2, fouling off a couple pitches to stay alive. The sixth pitch of the at-bat was nearly at his shoulders, but Hoerner swung anyway, shooting into right field to plate the go-ahead run. According to Statcast, the pitch was 4.23 feet above the ground, the third-highest ball a Cub has smacked for a hit since Statcast was introduced in 2015.

The Cubs couldn¡¯t score any further, but one run was all reliever Keegan Thompson needed to finally close the door.

¡°It was awesome to have that opportunity right there,¡± Hoerner said. ¡°Maybe not a recommended pitch selection, but we¡¯ll take it.¡±