Fireworks in Chicago began early on Independence Day as the Cubs set a franchise record for a single game, hitting eight home runs on Friday, including three from first baseman Michael Busch in a rout of the St.

Crow-Armstrong had a day, going 4-for-4 with two homers and the two hardest-hit balls of the game (a 111.8 mph single in the seventh and a 110.6 mph solo blast in the first). Busch homered three times and drove in five runs.

The Cubs, a franchise dating back to 1876, hit more homers in a single game Friday than they ever did before, with an octet of long balls rewriting the record books.