LOS ANGELES _ The National League MVP award won't be announced until mid-November, but Cubs slugger Kris Bryant is producing staggering numbers with more than five weeks left in the regular season.
By slugging two home runs Friday night _ including a two-run, game-winning blast in the 10th inning of a 6-4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers _ Bryant seized the National League home-run lead with 35 and compiled his fourth multihomer game.
Bryant's 35 home runs equal the most by a Cubs player since Derrek Lee in 2009. No Cub has surpassed 35 homers since Aramis Ramirez hit 38 in 2006.
Bryant has hit 61 home runs in the first two seasons, a franchise record. He already has the ninth-most homers in major league history for a player's first two seasons; Joe DiMaggio holds the record with 75.
Bryant has joined Ernie Banks as the only players in Cubs history to hit 35 homers in either their first or second season. Banks hit 44 homers in his second season in 1955. Bryant is only the second Cub to hit 35 homers in his age-24 season, joining Banks in 1955.
Bryant leads the National League with a 7.0 WAR, just behind Mike Trout (7.1) for tops in the majors.
With 35 games left, Bryant is on pace for 45 homers, 114 RBIs and 136 runs.
Bryant already became the first player in the majors to reach 100 runs, achieving that feat in the Cubs' 124th game. That's the fastest in franchise history since Sammy Sosa in the Cubs' 121st game in 2002.
Bryant is only the 10th player in Cubs history to reach 100 runs scored by the team's 124th game. Kiki Cuyler holds the franchise record by doing so in the club's 100th game in 1930, according to Cubs researcher Ed Hartig.
Bryant leads the majors with 107 runs scored and has scored at least one run in six consecutive games (11 runs total) and in eight of his last nine games (16 runs).
