The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic’s MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox.The Cubs — and specifically Dansby Swanson — keep driving in runs at an alarming rate. Plus: I go down yet another rabbit hole to find a dubious distinction, Ken Rosenthal explains the process for his All-Star picks and we have an early version of the Baseball Card of the Week. I’m Levi Weaver — welcome to The Windup!(Also, we’re off tomorrow for the Fourth of July holiday. Enjoy your weekend, and I’ll talk to you Monday!)Big Swings: Cubs score 23 runs vs. PadresRemember when we extolled the virtues of Dansby Swanson’s historic RBI totals in a series against the Mets last week? Well, he hasn’t exactly slowed down.Last night, Swanson hit three more home runs and the Cubs boat-raced the Padres, 23-3. A few notes on the game:
The Padres tied the franchise record for most runs allowed, matching a 1977 game in, coincidentally, Wrigley Field.
The eight home runs allowed were a new all-time high for Padres pitchers. But it tied a franchise high for the Cubs, who hit eight homers almost exactly a year ago, on July 4, 2025 against the Cardinals. (If you’re wondering, the all-time record is 10 — the Blue Jays hung that double-digit dinger total on the Orioles in 1987.)
