CHICAGO (670 The Score) -- Two large jugs of Gatorade doused Cubs star third baseman Kris Bryant on a frigid spring night at Wrigley Field. With Bryant just now regaining his top form, it couldn't have felt any better.
Bryant hit the walk-off three-run home run with two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the ninth inning, sending the Cubs to a 5-2 victory over the Marlins on Tuesday night. He was met at home plate by teammates thrilled to end their night on that note -- and back in first place in the National League Central.
"Walk-offs are so fun," Bryant said. "Regardless. It's a time to beat up on your teammates. Nobody knows who's doing what. They got me good but in the best way possible."
The homer was Bryant's sixth this season and made it three straight days of him going deep, the first time he has accomplished that in his career.
For Bryant, it's all part of the process to regaining his MVP-level play. He was limited to only 102 games due to a nagging left shoulder injury in 2018, when he hit a career-low 13 homers. Bryant entered 2019 with a clean bill of health but without consistency to his swing.
Manager Joe Maddon helped Bryant clean up his approach in the batter's box and repair the swing that made him the NL Rookie of the Year and MVP in 2015 and 2016, respectively. The swing by Bryant in the ninth inning added an exclamation mark to his recent improvements at the plate.
"I'm so happy for KB," Maddon said. "He's been working so hard. He's really rebounding well right now."
Bryant is hitting .289 (11-of-38) with five homers and 13 RBIs in his past 10 games.
"Definitely nobody in that clubhouse doubted that he would be back to being Kris Bryant," left-hander Jon Lester said.
Bryant homered on Opening Day March 28 in Texas but went nearly a full month before his next homer on April 26. His average dipped to .217 in the middle of April, and the concerns were beginning to return from his lost 2018.
Bryant now owns a slash line of .250/.381/.508 on the season and has reasserted himself as a driving force for Cubs victories -- including a walk-off winner to cap a cold night at Wrigley Field.
"It feels normal," Bryant said. "I knew it was just a matter of time before my worked showed up in the games. I'm really proud of that. I feel like I've put in a ton of work with just consistency in my swing and approach, not chasing too much, just working the counts, taking my walks, getting on base.
"Honestly, back to that homer I hit in Arizona (on April 26), I've felt locked in since then. I'm just going to ride this wave."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
