CHICAGO — “What a Wonderful World” played inside Wrigley Field’s home clubhouse Sunday morning as Louis Armstrong’s distinctive, raspy voice filled the locker room. The easy listening pregame playlist fed into the chill vibes and pageantry for this opening weekend, which recalled a quote from Eric Karros: Every player should spend a year as a Chicago Cub.
There is simply nothing else quite like it — the history that stretches back to 1876, the iconic ballpark operating in the middle of a neighborhood, all the 1:20 p.m. day games and a Midwestern outlook. It may not be the best place to chase a championship ring — the Cubs have one World Series trophy from their previous 116 seasons — but it is never boring.
It’s shaping up that way once again. Crowds that totaled 109,597 poured into the Friendly Confines to watch the Cubs win a three-game series against the previously unbeaten San Diego Padres. They also left wanting more as Sunday’s sloppy 8-7 loss ended the Cubs’ five-game winning streak.
Still, only a week ago, fans and media were criticizing Craig Counsell as an overrated manager who watched his relievers give up eight runs in the eighth inning of a road loss. Jed Hoyer, the baseball executive who primarily built that bullpen, is in the final year of his contract and under pressure. Hoyer’s front office, though, works within the payroll parameters set by ownership and business operations, leading to questions about why the Cubs don’t spend more money on players.
Against that backdrop, the Cubs still believe they have a winning formula with pitching and defense, speed and athleticism, roster depth and flexibility, and Kyle Tucker, a superstar-level talent who will get to spend at least one season as a Cub.
Karros’ line, which is occasionally referenced by longtime Chicago Tribune writer Paul Sullivan, came out of the heartbreaking 2003 season that ended with a Game 7 loss in the National League Championship Series. Karros — near the end of a 14-year playing career and before his successful transition into broadcasting — perfectly summed up the welcoming atmosphere in Wrigleyville.
“I know EK (Eric Karros),” Cubs first baseman Justin Turner said. “Yeah, I’ve heard that before.”
It made sense to Turner, 40, who previously played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox, and wanted another big-market experience. He got a one-year, $6 million contract for moments like Friday’s pinch hit at-bat, which became an RBI single and a turning point in a 3-1 victory. He felt the energy as soon as he pulled into the players’ parking lot, walked across Waveland Avenue and saw people gathering hours before first pitch.
“Feeling the energy of the fans is spectacular,” Turner said. “As cold as it was, once you get on the field and you feel the energy and the excitement, you just kind of go numb.”
The emotions were unavoidable on Saturday for Ian Happ, who got a standing ovation for his 1,000th game as a Cub, as well as Matthew Boyd, who got choked up after winning his first start at Wrigley Field in a Cubs uniform, thinking of his late grandfather, a Cubs fan who grew up in Chicago. Those generational connections could be seen throughout the weekend, from the Hall of Famers in attendance to the jam-packed bleachers to the video of Harry Caray doing the seventh-inning stretch.
Fans give Ian Happ a standing ovation for his 1,000th game as a Cub. (Matt Marton / Imagn Images)
The journey began on Super Bowl Sunday with the start of spring training. A month later, the Cubs traveled roughly 12,000 miles round-trip for the Tokyo Series, and then ramped up and down in late March for the end of the Cactus League and another Opening Day. After splitting a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Cubs swept the Athletics in a Triple-A ballpark (aggregate score: 35-9) and returned to the Friendly Confines with a sense of momentum.
“It felt like we were gone forever,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “When you put the Cub uniform on and then take the field, there’s a different aura around it. There’s a different vibe. This stadium, obviously, is historic — some of the best players of all time have played here.
“So thankful to be back and looking forward to a great year.”
So far, the top-line summary is that the Cubs have prevented a terrible start and avoided any devastating injuries. Both were concerns coming off their long trip to Japan and an unusual preseason training regimen. Their record is 7-5 amid the toughest stretch of their entire schedule, which won’t really ease up until May.
“The only thing that you can do about that is come out and play a good game,” Counsell said. “I’m most encouraged by where we sit health-wise. In terms of how we’ve pitched so far, I think we’ve been able to use guys appropriately and create a foundation in the first 10 days. That’s what I was very worried about, and I think we’ve got 10 days of good foundation here. We’re not out of the woods yet.”
Indeed, last year’s Cubs were 17-9 in late April before two bad months doomed their season. Their 2023 team had playoff probabilities above 90 percent until a September collapse. Part of what made the franchise so appealing to free agents looking for the next challenge was that bad century.
As a veteran player, Turner calmly stood at his locker after Sunday’s back-and-forth loss to the Padres and told reporters, “No excuses.”
With Cubs closer Ryan Pressly trying to work out of another ninth-inning jam, Turner had made an error on a potential double play, allowing the unearned, go-ahead run to score.
“I just missed it,” Turner said. “The ball’s got to be caught.”
Counsell had left Turner at first base rather than sub in Michael Busch because the manager preferred that matchup in the bottom of the ninth inning. On the 10th pitch of the at-bat, Turner missed a 99 mph fastball from Padres closer Robert Suárez to end the game.
The Cubs could have avoided San Diego’s top relievers by scoring after the second inning; two of their early runs came via balks by Logan Gillaspie, a call-up from San Diego’s Triple-A affiliate. Ben Brown, the young starter the Cubs expect to take a leap forward this season, also could have shut down the Padres on getaway day instead of laboring through four innings. Either way, that familiar rhythm of Cubs baseball is back.
“A lot of weird stuff in the game today,” Turner said. “We still took two out of three from a pretty good ballclub over there. We had an opportunity to sweep them and didn’t finish the job. But we’ll shake it off and show up tomorrow and try to win another series.”
(Top photo: Matt Marton / Imagn Images)