After six-plus seasons in the minors, Cubs infielder and Longmont native David Bote wasted no time re-introducing himself to the hometown crowd in his first major league start on Saturday night, roping a double on the second pitch of his opening at-bat.
“It was surreal — I got a good pitch to hit, put a good swing on it, and it got in the gap,” Bote said. “(Kyle) Schwarber told me if I didn’t swing at the first strike I saw, he’d yell at me. And (Anthony) Rizzo said, ‘You only get one chance to hit the first pitch of your career out of the yard.