Good morning to your .500 Chicago Cubs!
I know, I know. That’s not exactly exciting, but as I wrote this weekend, it’s probably the best I’ve felt about a .500 Cubs team in five years. Given where the Cubs started, I’ll take it for today.
The Cubs have yesterday’s walk-off to thank for the current .500 record, which means a big thanks to Javy Baez for a great piece of hitting and baserunning that put him on third base to lead off the bottom of the 9th. I don’t want that to get lost in the love for David Bote, whose single drove in Baez for the win.
.@DavidBote13's 4th career walk-off RBI!#EverybodyIn pic.twitter.com/uYTskYNb82
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 21, 2019
On the one-year anniversary of his MLB debut, @DavidBote13 celebrated in walk-off fashion! #EverybodyIn pic.twitter.com/I8OTveCM1S
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 22, 2019
Bote, who is now hitting .295/.380/.455 (125 wRC+) on the season, got the quick post-game hype treatment, but no Gatorade bath, because he had to fly – literally:
#OnTheDiamond: Today's hero, @DavidBote13, catches up with @Kelly_Crull…before catching a REALLY IMPORTANT FLIGHT. (@JandSJewelers) pic.twitter.com/b7eTiZbatV
— Cubs Talk (@NBCSCubs) April 21, 2019
Bote finds out his third kid will be born tonight, watches the Cubs' quickest game of the year get extended by a blown save, takes it upon himself to end the game and bolts immediately for the airport to join his wife in Colorado.
His story just keeps getting better and better.
— Tony Andracki (@TonyAndracki23) April 21, 2019
Imagine the human side of thinking your team had just BREEZED through an extremely quick win when you were trying to get to Colorado as quickly as possible that day … and then you see the other team tie the dang game in the 9th. And THEN, it’s you at the plate with a chance to end the game before it goes to extra innings. Incredible.
Bonus walk-off plus kid fun:
I didn't realize this initially, but Rizzo joked postgame about how David Bote's third kid being born tonight is a "grand slam baby."
It's exactly 36 weeks (and a little over 8 months) since Bote's ultimate grand slam.
— Tony Andracki (@TonyAndracki23) April 21, 2019