The Chicago Cubs continue to search for complementary pieces to bolster what was previously one of the National League’s most productive lineups.
While some stars have driven much of the club’s success and others have been struggling, roster depth has become increasingly important as the team pushes toward the postseason.
That search for depth recently led the Cubs to take a chance on a player looking for a fresh start elsewhere after winning a World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers last year. And last week, as that player earned a career milestone with the Cubs, the gamble certainly seemed to pay off.
Los Angeles Dodgers World Series Hero Delivers Heroic Hit For Chicago Cubs
On Friday, former Dodgers outfielder Justin Dean earned a key hit to record the first of his major-league career, shortly after playing his stint with the Dodgers ended.
“In his first at-bat with the Cubs, the right-handed batting Dean sliced a center-cut sinker from right-handed (Toronto Blue Jays) submariner Tyler Rogers beyond right fielder Jesus Sanchez and into the corner,” Matt Carlson reported for the Chicago Sun-Times. “Dean easily reached third … and a long-awaited moment.”
Dean — who joined the Cubs organization after he was placed on waivers by the San Francisco Giants, the team that claimed him off of waivers from the Dodgers — had been called up by the Cubs to replace Moises Ballesteros. And he shared an honest three-word answer about reaching his career milestone quickly with the new team.
“I almost cried,” Dean said of notching his first big-league hit, per Carlson. “We kept it inside, though. I’ve been waiting a long time for that. I’m super happy it came at this stadium, with this team and with these guys.”
Rather than settling for a routine single, Dean turned his first career hit into a triple, giving Cubs fans an instant highlight and providing another reminder of the athleticism that has kept him in major league organizations despite limited offensive opportunities.
Former Los Angeles Dodgers Outfielder Joins Chicago Cubs
Dean’s path to the Cubs included a memorable moment in the Fall Classic with the Dodgers, where opportunities at the plate were difficult for him to find last year.
“(Pinch-runner) was the role Dean had with the Dodgers, who used him in 18 regular-season games and another 13 in the postseason,” Jordan Bastian noted for MLB.com. “Combined, Dean went just 0-for-3 in the batter’s box in his few opportunities.”
But Dodgers fans will remember him for a key defensive play late in the Fall Classic.
“Dean did find the spotlight in Game 6 of the World Series, when his decision to put his hands up in the bottom of the ninth contributed to a ground-rule double for Addison Barger, helping seal a Dodgers win,” Bastian added.
While his Dodgers tenure ended without a hit, Dean’s first opportunity with the Cubs produced that breakthrough. And for a player who spent years working toward the moment, an emotional reaction was understandable.