MESA, Ariz. — Seiya Suzuki was the hottest hitter in the Cubs’ lineup during the final week of the regular season last year. The slugger then added three more homers as one of Chicago’s most dangerous bats during the team’s time on the October stage.
Suzuki picked up where he left off in Friday’s Cactus League opener, launching a first-inning fastball for a home run off White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon.
“Hopefully there’s 40 more of those from now until the end of the year,” Cubs starter Jameson Taillon said. “Not a big surprise. Seiya’s so strong, too. I think he probably got a little bit jammed on that, he was saying. He’s strong enough to put balls out.
“He’s looked really good. Honestly, all of our hitters have looked really good down here, which is exciting. I know that’s going to be a strength of ours.”
File this one in the “fun fact” category, but Suzuki has now homered in eight of his last 13 games, including the end of the ‘25 regular season and the playoffs. With a long winter between those blasts and Friday’s shot to the center-field berm at Sloan Park, there are no conclusions to draw from those numbers. It is just a nice sign for an important part of the Cubs’ offense.
Suzuki will play one more Cactus League game for the Cubs on Sunday before departing Monday for the World Baseball Classic. He is set to join Team Japan in Tokyo, where Pool C begins play on March 5. With Suzuki set to see some action in center field for Japan, he got the nod there for Friday’s game.
Naturally, new White Sox slugger Munetaka Murakami launched a ball in the fourth inning to deep center. Suzuki headed back to the warning track, but pulled up at the last moment and protected himself as the baseball dropped in for a sun-assisted double.
“You’ve got a good view of the field [in center],” Suzuki said via interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “But can they do something about the sun? If they can move it just a little bit, that’d be nice.”
Center field will be Pete Crow-Armstrong’s territory for the Cubs, while Suzuki projects to get the bulk of his action in right now that Kyle Tucker is with the Dodgers. Suzuki should also have a home in the heart of Chicago’s lineup following a ‘25 performance that included 32 homers, 31 doubles, 103 RBIs, a .478 slugging percentage and a 130 OPS+ in 151 games.
Suzuki was happy to get his spring going with a great swing.
“My focus at this part of Spring Training is to try to hit high velocity, try to hit it out in front,” Suzuki said. “The results were there, so I’m feeling pretty happy about that. [My] hitting is feeling good. I’m seeing the ball well, so no worries there. I think the only thing is just playing those long innings. Seeing how my body holds up to those.”
Bregman makes Cubs debut
The packed house at Sloan Park collectively offered a rousing standing ovation as Alex Bregman’s name was announced ahead of his first official at-bat for the Cubs. The star third baseman had heard about the rowdy environment in Mesa, but he was still impressed.
“It’s definitely exceeding expectations,” Bregman said.
Bregman — in the fold after signing a five-year, $175 million contract over the offseason — was in the lineup’s second slot and started at third base for the North Siders. Bregman went hitless in his two at-bats for Chicago, but the box for his first Cactus League game has been checked.
“It was great to be out here and play in a Spring Training game with the Cubs,” said Bregman, who will be joining Team USA in the World Baseball Classic later this spring. “It was fun. Obviously, super cool to have all that energy in the ballpark. Great start. Let’s keep it going.”
Quotable
“How many Spring Training games have a flyover? I’ve never seen that, so that was cool. Being a Cub is the best. I think there’s obviously a lot of Cubs fans down here in Arizona, and the history helps. Making the playoffs last year helps. I think this is a really exciting team. You have a guy like Bregman debuting in the pinstripes today, which is really cool. I think it’s a mix of everything. Obviously, the Cubs are one of the greatest, most historic franchises in sports, so it doesn’t shock me.” — Taillon, on Sloan Park’s atmosphere for the spring opener
