Many in the announced Wrigley Field crowd of 31,119 Tuesday evening had come to pay tribute to 2016 World Series star Javier Báez on his first return to the ballpark since he was traded in the big selloff of summer 2021.
So let’s begin with that:
Cubs honored Javier Báez with a video tribute before tonight’s game: pic.twitter.com/Rff8sliaCo
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) August 21, 2024
And then Javy went and struck out all four times he came to the plate, including one to end the game as the Cubs defeated the Tigers 3-1 on a coolish evening that served as a reminder that September is closer than you think.