Chicago Cubs: Kyle Schwarber’s home run ball removed from video board

Words can’t describe what was going through my mind, personally, when Hector Rondon slammed the door on the St. Louis Cardinals, sending the Chicago Cubs to the National League Championship Series.

But before Rondon took the mound in the top of the ninth inning, with the opportunity of a lifetime in front of him, rookie slugger Kyle Schwarber pulled through with one of the biggest home runs in his young career.

A career that has barely opened its eyes, the fact that this left-handed hitter ended the year with 16 home runs and 43 RBI through 232 at-bats and 69 games combined is ridiculous.

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Now according to FOX Sports, that home run he had hit off Cardinals reliever Kevin Siegrist in the seventh inning of that decisive Game 4 was removed from the video board in right field.

Most assumed that the ball landed on Sheffield Avenue while the Oakland Athletics had a little fun of their own and posted a video of a baseball landing on their field.

Which was then converted into a football field since this occurred during the National League Football’s regular season. That’s what happens when your baseball team shares the same stadium with a football team.

The 22-year-old Ohio-born powerhouse will be a year older just after Cactus League play has officially begun in early March. If he’s able to stay healthy, there’s no reason why he couldn’t hit 25-30 homers in a season, sitting behind 2016’s early N.L. MVP candidates, Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant.

Not only did he spark this lineup by flexing in the batters box, but he helped lead this team closer to the World Series before Daniel Murphy and the New York Mets swept them in front of the Wrigley Field faithful.

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It felt like every time Schwarber took a hack at a pitch, it was going to leave the yard as soon as his bat made contact. Wrapping up the postseason with a total of five home runs and eight RBI, there’s no doubt that he could have been both the MVP of the championship series, but the World Series as well.

Who knows, maybe he will be if the team who is projected to end 2016 with the best record in all of baseball finally makes it to the promise land and schedules their own victory parade.