The Cubs were losing 3-2 with two outs and two on when Kris Bryant took stepped to the plate in the top of the 7th inning. It was the kind of situation the slugger’s critics have been quick to bemoan, believing almost to the point of hoping that he’d come up short. Perhaps because he’s smooth as an eight-speed automatic transmission, there remains a pervasive undercurrent of belief that Bryant isn’t clutch.
Though there exist enough different situational statistics for folks on various sides of the argument to plausibly defend their stances, a quick look at some common numbers presents convincing evidence for KB’s clutchness.