Kris Bryant launches first career home run, Cubs teammates hide in clubhouse
Kris Bryant’s big moment finally arrived on Saturday. In his 21st major-league game and 92nd plate appearance, he finally put a one in the home run column after hitting a towering three-run shot off Milwaukee’s Kyle Lohse at Miller Park. Wasn’t that majestic? It was exactly like Cubs fans had envisioned it for so many days, weeks and months dating back to the 2013 draft.
The home run temporarily gave the Cubs a lead on Saturday, which is something Bryant has been doing a lot of lately even without hitting homers. But it wasn’t just his moment. It also belonged to those fans, the organization that drafted him and let him mash his way to the big leagues, and it belonged to his teammates, who were…
Nowhere to be found?
Yeah, the Cubs went one better than the silent treatment for Byant’s first homer. They all cleared out of the dugout down into the hallway leading to the visitors clubhouse at Miller Park.
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Even manager Joe Maddon disappeared -— not that we should be too surprised given how his personality also seems to blend right in with the players — leaving Bryant to celebrate with no one in particular until he raced down that hallway himself.
The homer is just the first of what many anticipate will be hundreds in his career. Not dozens. Not 100. Not 200. Not even 300. More hundreds than that. But it will always be special because it’s the first, and because his teammates finally officially welcomed him to the big leagues.
Could it get any better than that for Kris Bryant?
Actually, yes, He also got the baseball back because it landed in the home bullpen.
All things considered, we’re guessing it was worth the wait.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
