Chicago Cubs, Javier Baez come out swinging on Opening Day

The Chicago Cubs looked to put last season’s storylines behind them quickly on Opening Day, mashing their way to a lopsided victory over the Texas Rangers.

After months of talking about the Chicago Cubs and a ‘broken’ offense, we got our first look at the 2019 club in action on Thursday. And, boy, it was a sight to behold.

Clearly, nothing broke for Chicago on Opening Day as they pounded out a dozen runs on 13 base hits against Texas pitching. The Rangers got to Jon Lester in the bottom of the third – but Chicago immediately answered back with a run in the fourth, followed by six in the fifth, two in the sixth, one in the seventh and two in the eighth.

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The man leading the charge? Who else did you expect? Last year’s National League MVP runner-up, Javier Baez, blasted two home runs and drove in four on the afternoon, and narrowly missed out on a third long ball late in the contest. Lester did what he so often does, gutting his way through an outing with less than his best stuff.

For much of the afternoon, the veteran sat in the upper-80s, occasionally touching the lower 90s with his fastball, but at the end of the day, he got the job done. Lester departed after six innings of two-run, four-hit ball, striking out three and walking two.

Thursday marked the latest exciting Opening Day we’ve experienced under manager Joe Maddon, who, of course, is managing the Cubs under lame-duck status after the front office did not elect to extend him this offseason. They haven’t all been wins, but no one can deny the excitement Opening Day has brought to Cubs fans in recent years.

So with that first win under their belt, the Chicago Cubs enjoy a well-deserved off-day on Friday before continuing the series on Saturday at Arlington. Right-hander Yu Darvish will make his 2019 debut against his former club, looking to get his campaign off on the right foot.

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