Michael Busch hits another leadoff homer for the Cubs in NL Division Series against the Brewers

CHICAGO (AP) — Michael Busch started leading off for the Chicago Cubs in July. The first baseman adjusted to his new position in the lineup by not adjusting at all.

“From the moment I was placed in that spot, they put me there, and I thought, ‘why change what I do?’ ” Busch said.

“From there, it’s just kind of one of those things where I just try to have my at-bat. Sometimes it goes well; sometimes it doesn’t.”

It’s working out quite well at the moment.

Busch hit a leadoff homer in Chicago’s four-run first inning in Game 3 of the team’s NL Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday. The Cubs avoided a sweep by holding on for a 4-3 victory.

Chicago had scored three or fewer runs in each of its last 13 postseason games, dating to a 9-8 victory at Washington in Game 5 of a 2017 NL Division Series.

The 27-year-old Busch became the first player in major league history with multiple leadoff homers in a single postseason series, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“He’s become the guy in the lineup that everybody is thinking about and they’re doing their pitching around him, and that’s a credit to the player,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “It really is.

“It’s not easy to do, and he’s put us off to a great start a whole bunch of these games.”

Busch set career highs with a .261 batting average, 34 homers and 90 RBIs in 155 games in his second year with Chicago. Five of his regular-season homers were leadoff shots.

With the Cubs facing elimination, he drove a full-count cutter from Quinn Priester deep to right-center, tying the game at 1. It was his team-high third homer of the postseason.

“Busch in particular, he’s come into his own. This guy is — you’ve got to make pitches to him,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.

It was a big moment for Busch after he lost William Contreras’ mile-high popup in the sun in the top half of the inning, setting up a sacrifice fly for Sal Frelick.

“Just tried to reset,” Busch said. “It’s a long game and there’s a lot of outs, and just tried to remind myself just to have a good at-bat.”

Busch also hit a leadoff shot against Freddy Peralta in Chicago’s 9-3 loss in Game 1 on Saturday. The Cubs scored three times in the first inning of Game 2, but the Brewers rallied for a 7-3 victory.

The matchup of NL Central rivals is the first postseason series in which both teams scored in the first inning in each of the first three games. Milwaukee has outscored Chicago 10-8 in the first so far.

After Busch went deep on Wednesday, the Cubs loaded the bases on a single and two walks. Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a tiebreaking two-run single with two out, and Ian Happ scored on a wild pitch from Nick Mears.

“I mean, the confidence we have in sending Buschy up there any at-bat, it’s obviously very high, but the confidence that I have when Michael Busch leads off a ballgame or an inning is through the roof,” Crow-Armstrong said, “and I think I’m just one of the lucky ones that gets to have watched his year so far.”

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