Jason Heyward takes St. Louis boobirds in stride during Cubs’ win
It didn’t matter if Jason Heyward was stepping into the batter’s box for an at-bat or making a defensive play in the outfield Monday night in his return to St. Louis. Each time he found himself the center of attention during the Chicago Cubs’ 5-0 win, he heard boos from jilted St. Louis fans unhappy he moved north in free agency to a bitter rival.
One report said some in the crowd were heard using racist terms in expressing displeasure with Heyward, who said he didn’t hear anything beyond the booing. No audio evidence has surfaced to back up the report and ESPN told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that it reviewed audio of the game and found no evidence of racial slurs. 
Heyward wasn’t the only former Cardinal making his return to St. Louis on Monday. John Lackey made the start on the mound for the Cubs and was masterful in earning the win and combining with the bullpen on a shutout. He gave up only four hits and struck out 11 over seven innings but wasn’t treated as harshly by Cardinals fans as Heyward.
[Giants fan leaves game in shame after making a huge mistake]
Heyward might experience more booing Tuesday night when the teams face each other in the second game of their first series of the season, which will be Yahoo Sports’ Free MLB Game of the Day on (8:15 p.m. ET). You can stream the game at sports.yahoo.com/videos
Prior to Monday’s game, Heyward said hearing some boos wouldn’t bother him. He put a more positive spin on it saying anyone booing him must have wanted him to stay, which is a sign of respect.
“They don’t boo too often, so it must be somebody important, or somebody doing something worth booing,” Heyward said after the game.
Of course, Cardinals fans might say Heyward brought this on himself not only by signing with the Cubs but also because of comments he made afterward in explaining his decision. He turned down more money from the Cardinals because he said he was concerned about the aging core of players in St. Louis and that in three years the club would likely look much different.
[Noah Syndergaard throws so hard he branded his catcher’s chest]
“I didn’t take the highest offer,” Heyward told reporters in December. “For me, a winning attitude and culture and the fact that this group is such a young group and I could grow myself with it. And to be 26 years old and look throughout my, hopefully, eight years here that I was able to grow up with a group of guys and make them family and to be able to cherish that the rest of the way without feeling I had to restart.”
Heyward went 0-for-4 on Monday and is now hitting just .188 in his first 13 games of the season. It’s probably nothing for the Cubs to worry about considering Heyward was hitting .193 after his first 13 games with the Cardinals last season. He finished last season .293/.359/.439 with 13 home runs, 60 RBI and 23 stolen bases.
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Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer to Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
