The Chicago Cubs took on the St. Louis Cardinals on Independence Day at Wrigley Field. Their offense provided plenty of fireworks and made history along the way.

The Cubs hit eight home runs in the game, six off of Miles Mikolas. Seiya Suzuki, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Carson Kelly and Dansby Swanson all went deep in the Cubs’ 11-3 win over their division rivals. Crow-Armstrong hit two home runs, while Michael Busch hit three home runs.

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The Cubs’ eight home runs set a franchise record and tied the 1977 Boston Red Sox for the most home runs ever hit on July 4, according to MLB insider Bob Nightengale. In that game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Geroge Scott, Fred Lynn, Butch Hobson, Bernie Carbo, Jim Rice and Carl Yastrzemski hit home runs. Scott and Lynn each hit two home runs.

The Cubs now have a 4 1/2 game lead in the division, but that will change after the Milwaukee Brewers play the Miami Marlins later tonight. The Cubs have watched their lead in the division dwindle over the last few weeks, and now the Brewers are a real threat to them.

The Cubs’ offense scored double-digit runs for the 15th time this season. They had 13 hits, doing most of their damage against Mikolas, who came into the game with a 4.76 ERA.

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The Cubs’ offense has been great all season. However, they will need to address their pitching if they want to make a World Series run. Their starting rotation has been one of the worst in baseball, pitching to a 4.18 ERA.

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