ARLINGTON, Texas – For a while, it looked like a controversial play might decide Opening Day between the Cubs and Rangers.
For the Rangers, it was a case of a lapse in judgment. For the Cubs, it was an early example of rookie Michael Busch’s baseball smarts.
“Just heads up bass running, taking advantage of a little confusion on the field,” manager Craig Counsell said after the Cubs’ 4-3 loss Thursday. “We kind of stole the run right there.”
Let’s back up.
The Cubs and Rangers were knotted in a 2-2 tie in the ninth inning. Busch had drawn a six-pitch walk and then advanced to second base when Nico Hoerner walked behind him.
Pinch hitter Miles Mastrobuoni stepped up to the plate with two outs. And on the second pitch of the at-bat, he swung at a changeup that was diving out of the bottom of the strike zone.
A slow motion replay on the broadcast showed that Mastrobuoni tipped the pitch. But the change of direction was slight; home plate umpire Chad Fairchild didn’t see it in real time. And the Globe Life Field was loud enough to drown out the sound of the contact.
Fairchild called it a swinging strike, as Busch raced to third base. But as the ball rolled away from catcher Jonah Heim’s, he took issue with the call.
A foul ball would have sent Busch back to second base, but it wasn’t a reviewable play. Heim stood up and argued with the umpire, motioned with his glove and free hand.
“I just saw a separation between a catcher and the ball, and I saw him talking to the umpire,” Busch said. “And I didn’t know if it was a foul ball or not, or what they called it. It sounded like the umpire wasn’t doing much. So, I just went for it. If it was a foul ball, I just had to go back.”
He rounded third base and picked up speed down the baseline, sliding head first across home plate as Hiem eventually scrambled after the ball and made an off-line toss to home.
“That play, it just never really happens,” Busch said. “But you just follow the ball, and sometimes you just trust your instincts, in a sense, and just go with that.”
At the time, Busch’s baserunning put the Cubs up 3-2. But Heim would get his redemption in the 10th inning, with a walk-off single.
The Cubs are still getting to know Busch, after trading for him over the offseason. But they saw a lot of promise in the former Dodger.
Busch, 26, was one of six Cubs who made the Opening Day roster for the first time in their careers this year. The former utility man is now the Cubs’ starting first baseman.
Veteran first baseman Garrett Cooper said he talked with Busch leading up to the career milestone.
“Trying to make light of, just be happy,” Cooper told the Sun-Times before the game. “Whatever happens, the first game doesn’t dictate the whole year. You just try to take it all on, try to take it day by day and pitch by pitch, because the first day is always jittery no matter who’s out there.”
Beyond just controlling those emotions, Busch got on base three of the four times he stepped up to the plate. He drew a four-pitch walk in his first plate appearance, against Ranger starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. He struck out in his second. Then against reliever Josh Sborz, Busch drove a line drive single into right field for his first hit as a Cub.
His walk in the ninth inning versus José Leclerc, and aggressive mentality on the bases thereafter, gave the Cubs a chance to win after starter Justin Steele’s hamstring injury. The Cubs fell just short in extra innings.
Maddie Lee
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