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On Tuesday, the Wrigley Field crowd saw Jake Arrieta return to Wrigley Field to take the mound again. The crowd's reaction said it all when the 2016 World Series champion took the mound ahead of the Crosstown Classic against the White Sox.
Arrieta's first pitch was caught by the only lone member remaining from the 2016 championship roster, Kyle Hendricks. Arrieta was in his No. 49 Cubs jersey and posed with Hendricks after throwing first pitch. During the entire time, the crowd was up at its feet to honor the pitcher.
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Arrieta's presence at Wrigley Field brought back 2016, the year when the Cubs last won their World Series. That postseason, the 2015 NL Cy Young winner started two games, both of which resulted in a victory.
In 2015, apart from being chosen for the pitching award, Arrieta finished in the top 10 in MVP voting that year. His hitting prowess is also no small thing as he has been known to have a good swing when the NL still had pitchers hitting in the ninth spot.
Arrieta's impressive resume includes one All-Star selection, one Olympic gold medal, a Silver Slugger Award, and two no-hitters in his career.
Dexter Fowler compares Javier Assad's stretch to Jake Arrieta
Jake Arrieta is among the many pitchers whose presence at Wrigley Field's mound gives fans the assurance of a good pitching night for the Cubs. Former Cubs centerfielder and 2016 World Series champion Dexter Fowler had a front-row seat, enjoying his former colleague dominate hitters from the mound.
Now, another pitcher has emerged in the Cubs uniform, which Fowler feels has an Arrieta feel to it and it is none other than Javier Assad, who has posted a 2.27 ERA across 63.1 innings pitched, holding a 4-1 record.
"Yeah, there was one guy that I played with that I can remember in the Cubs uniform that was like that. And it was Jake Arrieta. That's a look of, I'm about to dominate," Fowler said on Cubs' postgame show.
It will be a tall task for Assad to fill the shoes of Jake Arrieta but he has started this season on a stellar note.
