Cubs ace Justin Steele drops 3-word reaction after reaching historic strikeout landmark 

Justin Steele took the mound for the Chicago Cubs as they locked horns with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second game of their series in Tokyo. Pitching four innings, Steele struck out five batters.

The 29-year-old reached a historic landmark, becoming only the third left-handed pitcher in Cubs' history to get to 500 strikeouts in 100 outings. The other names on the exclusive list are three-time World Series champion Jon Lester and two-time All-Star Ted Lilly.

After Wednesday's game, Justin Steele took to Instagram to celebrate his historic achievement, via his story.

"God is Good" Justin Steele captioned.

Screenshot of Justin Steele's Instagram Story (Image from - Instagram.com/justinsteele21 IG Stories)

Despite Steele's best efforts, the Cubs slumped to their second consecutive defeat of the 2025 season as the Dodgers won the game 6-3. Tommy Edman and Kike Hernandez both got the better of Steele, hitting home runs in the third and fourth innings respectively.

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Justin Steele 'excited' to share locker room with Cubs' new acquisition, Kyle Tucker

Having brought in three-time All-Star and World Series winner Kyle Tucker via a trade in the offseason, the Chicago Cubs have managed to add plenty of quality to their outfield. Justin Steele talked about how he was 'excited' to share the locker room with Tucker.

"Anytime you add a bat like Kyle Tucker to the team, in the lineup, even the way he plays defense is incredible," Steele said, via 'North Side Territory' (2:47). "I played a ton against him in High-A... and just remember thinking this guy is going to be a stud."

"He's still young, great left-handed swing, plays defence really hard... He's only gotten better every single year. He's a fun player to watch and I'm excited to get around him."

Further, Steele went on to talk about how Tucker was a player whose offensive contributions can make his job on the mound much easier.

"It's hard to say that we wouldn't be scoring more runs with him in the lineup," Steele said (6:43). "I would say, if we're in the beginning stages of a baseball game, one through the first three innings, and say we already have one to five runs on the board, just as a pitcher you just can go out there and just throw strikes... when you're pitching with a lead, you're pitching a completely different game.

"That's my initial thought, that's very comforting. And then you look at how good he plays defense, you hear about how good of a teammate he is, the camaraderie it's going to bring to the clubhouse. I'm really excited about it."

Having failed to make the playoffs for the last four seasons in a row, fans will be hoping Justin Steele and Kyle Tucker can help their team finally clinch a postseason spot in 2025.