Chicago Cubs On Pace For Embarrassing Strikeout Record This Postseason

Four more Cubs players have more than six, while third baseman Matt Shaw has six strikeouts going without a hit in nine plate appearances. This is a huge reason why the Cubs are hitting just .216 this postseason.

If Cubs manager Craig Counsell can't get his once-powerful offense going in Game 3, not only will Chicago be out of the playoffs, but they could also be on the wrong side of playoff history. Swanson, Crow-Armstrong, and the rest of their team are on pace to have the highest strikeout average per game ever in a single postseason.

What's the worst mark for strikeouts per game and who owns it?

While it's no secret that the Chicago Cubs won the 2016 World Series, not everyone remembers who lost it four years later. It's a team from the AL East that both Lou Pinella and Joe Maddon have managed before.

Yes, the Tampa Bay Rays lost out to the Philadelphia Phillies during the 2021 World Series. With a 40-20 overall record during a shortened season (thanks to Covid), one of baseball's best teams looked far from great at the plate.

The Rays played in 20 playoff games that postseason. A two-game AL Wild Card Round sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays was followed up by Tampa Bay beating the Yankees, three games to two, in the AL Division Series. Then the Rays played the full seven games in the AL Championship Series before losing in six to the Phillies during the World Series.

During that span, Tampa Bay's batters struck out a combined 220 times. A pair of Rays infielders, second baseman Brandon Lowe and shortstop Willy Adames struck out 28 times and 25 times, respectively. Catcher Mike Zunino whiffed 27 times, as well.

That's an average of 11 times per game. To put that into perspective, the Cubs have struck out at least 11 times per game in five postseason contests this year.

Chicago whiffed 35 times between all three games of the NL Wild Card Round against the San Diego Padres. In Games 1 and 2 against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Cubs have struck out 12 and 11 times, respectively. That puts Chicago at 11.6 strikeouts per game for this postseason, an average of nearly one-and-half more than the Rays.

Even if the Cubs strike out seven times on Wednesday in Game 3 at Wrigley Field, they will tie the current record and worst average mark for most strikeouts per game. Clearly, being issued 58 strike three calls this postseason has hurt Chicago, which is down 2-0 to Milwaukee.

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