From 2015 to 2021, Colorado Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant won multiple individual and team awards with the Chicago Cubs.
A homegrown star, he was the face of Chicago baseball in the second half of the 2010s, and became one of the most dangerous hitters in the National League.
He was a Rookie of the Year, an MVP award winner, and a World Series winner with the Cubs, quickly becoming a fan favorite until the team, in the middle of a rebuild, traded him to the San Francisco Giants in 2021.
That trade caught everybody by surprise, but it was the end of an era.
Cubs fans still have fond memories of the core that helped the franchise win its first Fall Classic since 1908 back in 2016, and Bryant was a big part of that core.
That’s why he earned such a touching ovation when he went to Wrigley Field with his current team.
He came to bat in the first inning of Friday’s game between the Rockies and Cubs at Wrigley, with two runners on and one out.
Fans immediately stood up and started clapping their hands, and Bryant took a couple of seconds to acknowledge the show of affection, take his helmet off, and salute his former fans, via Marquee Sports Network.
Kris Bryant will always get a standing ovation at Wrigley! pic.twitter.com/S3W8OHGGZW
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 22, 2023
Some people will tell you that baseball is all about winning the World Series.
However, it’s clear that baseball is about moments like these: the game is about building memories that last forever.
Bryant has that front covered: there were six-and-a-half seasons of building lasting memories with a Cubs uniform.
His tenure in Chicago won’t be forgotten.
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