MIAMI _ Ian Happ made a statement about his leadoff credentials on the first pitch of the 2018 season.
Happ, making his first Opening Day start, smacked a home run off Jose Urena over the right-field fence as the Chicago Cubs relied on their power to pull away to an 8-4 win Thursday over the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park.
Happ's homer sparked a three-run first. Happ is believed to be the first player to hit a homer on the first pitch of the major-league season since Dwight Evans of the Boston Red Sox accomplished the feat against Hall of Famer Jack Morris in 1986.
Anthony Rizzo hit a solo home run in the second, and Kyle Schwarber smacked a solo shot in the seventh. Pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella capped the three-run seventh with a two-run double.
The Cubs needed the runs because the Marlins knocked out left-hander Jon Lester in the fourth. But Steve Cishek bailed Lester out of a jam with the Cubs protecting a 5-4 lead.
Cishek and five relievers combined to limit the Marlins to one hit over the final 52/3 innings.
In the third, a drive by Derek Dietrich sailed over the head of Schwarber in left field, and Schwarber slipped while trying to field a single by Brian Anderson that help set up the tying run.
The Cubs regained the lead on doubles by Kris Bryant and Willson Contreras in the fourth.
The Cubs are optimistic that the switch-hitting Happ can provide production at the top after they struggled to find a productive combination in 2017. After hitting his home run, Happ struck out three times and popped to third.
"If you got a 35 percent on getting on base (rate) a lot, that can set it up for the rest of the group," manager Joe Maddon said before the game. "With him, this is new territory.
"He had a nice camp. We're going to keep an open mind, season in progress. I'm not going to move him out of there. When he plays, you'll see him in that spot."
