When Cubs third baseman Patrick Wisdom decided to shave his beard into a mustache recently, he made sure his daughters were there to see it.
Wisdom rocked a mustache last year, but the new look took one of his daughters some getting used to.
“She was a little apprehensive with me getting her in the morning,” Wisdom said. “It was like, ‘Who’s this guy?’
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“It was pretty funny from my end, not her end. She obviously was kind of scared.”
It’s a good thing Wisdom had a moment of foresight this time around. The 30-year-old is red-hot at the plate, hitting home runs at a historic rate, and says the mustache isn’t going anywhere.
“It’s going to stay for a little bit,” he said, laughing. “Power of the mustache, I guess.”
Wisdom hit a pair of home runs Saturday against the White Sox, his second straight two-homer game. He’s the first rookie in Cubs history to accomplish that feat.
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Saturday’s home runs were his 24th and 25th this season — one away from tying Kris Bryant’s single-season Cubs rookie record.
On top of all that, he joined Andre Dawson, Ryne Sandberg and Sammy Sosa, among other Cubs since 1970, in having two eight-game stretches in a season with six-plus home runs.
“That’s really cool,” Wisdom said, adding he was speechless when presented with some of those names.
“Those are obviously great players, phenomenal players, even Cubs legends. You can even put that title on there. So that's really, really special. I’m honored.”
Wisdom has been a pleasant surprise this season for the Cubs. He had 43 games of big-league experience between the Rangers, Cardinals and Cubs when he was called up from Triple-A at the end of May.
He joined a roster featuring Bryant, Javy Báez and Anthony Rizzo, and hit eight home runs in his first 15 games. He’s been a steady presence in the lineup since the Cubs traded their All-Star trio and recently surpassed Báez for the team lead in home runs.
Should fans be surprised at this point, seeing the contributions Wisdom and others like Rafael Ortega continue providing the Cubs?
“If they're surprised, then that's on them,” Wisdom said. “I know what I can do, and other people know what we can do. I think there's a reason why we are here, and why we’re playing well, like we are.”
Just ask White Sox starter Lance Lynn, who crossed paths with Wisdom in the Cardinals and Rangers organizations.
"When we make a mistake, he hits it," Lynn said. "You find guys that get in zones like that, and that happens.
"Right now, he’s in a good spot, and he gets to play. I’ve known Patrick for a long time. He’s kind of got passed over for years, and he’s finally getting his opportunity. So, he’s making the best of it, obviously."
After Wisdom’s two home runs Friday, manager David Ross said the Cubs may have all have to rock mustaches, based on how he’s performing.
Now, the pressure is on.
“I don’t know. I’m on TV too much to look that bad," Ross joked. "It’s working good for Wiz. Unless we go team-wide, I'm going to spare you guys that look.
"But, wow, what he's doing is so impressive. When he touches the ball, it just doesn't come down. It explodes off his bat.
"Nice couple of nights for him."