Cubs rookie Christopher Morel told Willson Contreras and Alfonso Rivas that he was going to hit a home run an inning before he walked up to the plate for his first major-league at-bat.
He didn’t even know for certain that he was going to pinch hit in the eighth inning against the Pirates.
“But I’ve got to be ready,” he said with a smile. “That’s what I told [manager Dvid] Ross, ‘If you’re going to need me, I’m going to be ready for this moment.’”
Just as he predicted, Morel launched a home run over the left-field bleachers.