HOUSTON — Kyle Tucker earned his crown Saturday.

One night after Houston Astros fans welcomed “King Tuck” back to Daikin Park, the Chicago Cubs slugger delivered a big blow with a three-run home run into the right-field seats in a game-changing, seven-run fourth inning. Tucker tied his career high in the Cubs’ 12-3 win with four hits, including a double, as part of an all-around stellar performance by the offense.

Back in Houston for the first time since the offseason trade, Tucker was treated to cheers throughout Friday’s game and the first few innings Saturday. Those quickly turned to boos after the ball Tucker hit off former teammate Lance McCullers Jr. cleared the right-field wall.

“It’s a good thing. That means we’re doing our job over here,” a smiling Tucker said of the jeers. “We’re going to try and do it again tomorrow.”

Michael Busch and Nico Hoerner hit back-to-back homers to open the fourth, quickly erasing a one-run deficit. The Cubs (49-34) kept the inning rolling with Ian Happ’s RBI single that preceded Tucker’s 17th home run of the year. Pete Crow-Armstrong capped the scoring in the fourth with a sacrifice fly.

One of the best run-producing offenses in the majors has had a knack for big innings this season.

“It’s a group that doesn’t really get super high or low, and it’s not the most exciting answer, but I do think it gives you the chance to always roll out your best at-bats,” Hoerner said. “And that looks different for each of us, but when everyone’s embracing their own strengths and just rolling it out there over and over and over, you get the opportunity for those big innings.

“And once you get a lead, I think we all feed off each other’s confidence and (it’s) nice to have a little momentum like that. It was huge.”

The Cubs tacked on in the sixth with Dansby Swanson’s RBI single and in the eighth when Seiya Suzuki hit his team-leading 22nd homer, followed two batters later by Busch’s run-scoring single.

Right-hander Colin Rea limited the Astros to two runs — courtesy of former Cubs prospect Cam Smith’s second homer in as many days in the third — over five innings.

“Colin came out and put zeros up, and that kind of squashes the game, too, from a momentum standpoint, as much as anything,” manager Craig Counsell said. “When he puts up a zero in the fourth, that is a big inning. So we did a nice job, had our big offensive inning and did a great job with the bullpen and Colin.”

Originally Published: June 28, 2025 at 10:56 PM CDT