Chicago Cubs: Why fans wanted Kyle Schwarber to play on Opening Day

Chicago Cubs: Do we want to see this in October because of one day?

But, but, but… it’s just one day. That’s what some people will say. That’s what some people have said in response to squabbles over the Opening Day lineup sans Schwarber. And, that is true. I can’t deny it. However, don’t you think the Cubs wish they could have changed just one day at the end of the 2018 regular season?

Wouldn’t one day have made a difference in terms of how we viewed the success of last year? No one could say we choked away the division (we didn’t anyhow – the Brewers were just nuclear). No one could say we need a complete overhaul (that remains to be seen, I suppose, but we sure as heck didn’t overhaul anything this past offseason). Theo Epstein probably wouldn’t have given his now famous “production over potential speech.”

One day and one game mean a lot in baseball or any sport for that matter. And, while one day may not seem like a big deal in March, it is. If this mindset and philosophy continues (which it will), it means there will be other games where Schwarber sits. Therein lies the problem. It’s not just one day. There are many days. Many days where Kyle Schwarber, one of our best hitters, doesn’t start the game and get multiple at-bats (granted, he did get three at-bats on Opening Day, but that won’t happen very often in the same manner).