Ahead of Saturday’s Chicago Cubs game vs the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field, a Cubs World Series hero threw out the ceremonial first pitch in a very fitting way.
Dexter Fowler played center field over a highly productive 14-year major-league career. So, rather than stand on the mound, Fowler threw out the first pitch from the grass in center field.
Cubs fans — along with his mascot, the team mascot Clark the Cub — loved it.
That’s very well done. Fowler retired from playing baseball in January, but his arm is still holding up well.
Additionally, Fowler performed the Cubs’ seventh-inning stretch on Saturday, singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” in a suit (the Marquee Sports Network analyst later did postgame studio coverage after the Cubs’ 8-6 win; that’s quite a busy day).
Fowler, 37, was a National League All-Star in the Cubs’ World Series championship 2016 season. Along with playing a strong center field, Fowler was the team’s leadoff hitter and catalyst, putting together a .276/.393/.447 slash line with 13 home runs and 13 stolen bases. He capped off that season by hitting a homer to lead off the Cubs’ incredible title-clinching Game 7 victory — 8-7 in 10 innings — in Cleveland.
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About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.