Back in 2015, the Chicago Cubs signed outfielder Jason Heyward to an eight-year contract, plucking him away from the rival St. Louis Cardinals.
The next year, Heyward and the Cubs won a World Series title, which was Chicago’s first since 1908.
Heyward himself didn’t have the best season that year, but he had more than his fair share of great moments as a member of the Cubs.
Over the winter, the Cubs cut ties with the fan-favorite outfielder, and he was picked up by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
On Thursday, the Dodgers made the trip to Chicago to take on the Cubs, giving Heyward a chance to return to Wrigley Field as an opposing player.
Before the game, the Cubs recognized Heyward for his contributions, and the veteran outfielder received a nice standing ovation from the Wrigley Field crowd.
Nice ovation from the Cubs crowd as Jason Heyward makes his return to Wrigley Field pic.twitter.com/Q2BEXpImwN
— Ryan Herrera (@ryan_a_herrera) April 21, 2023
Heyward spent seven seasons as a member of the Cubs.
The 33-year-old hit for a .245 average over those seven seasons.
His best season at the Friendly Confines came in 2019, when he hit for a .251 average and crushed 21 home runs, which was six short of his career-high in 2012, when he was with the Atlanta Braves.
But regardless of how things went in Chicago, Heyward will always be loved by Cubs fans, simply because of his role with the 2016 team that finally broke the “Curse of the Billy Goat.”
That team won 103 games and went wire-to-wire, taking command of the NL Central early in the season and ultimately rallying from a 3-1 deficit in the World Series to pull off the miracle.
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