A night after Luis Robert shushed Chicago Cubs fans after his seventh-inning home run gave the Chicago White Sox a one-run lead, Christopher Morel made sure he had those fans’ back.
Then lost his mind in the process.
The Cubs were down 3-1 in the ninth inning at Wrigley Field Wednesday night, and Morel was at the plate facing newly-minted closer Gregory Santos. Two runners were on, and Morel was in the hole 1-2, having swung and missed twice to begin the at-bat. Morel held off on a slider that missed low and away, and that’s when Santos changed things up, throwing a 99-mph sinker.
One that needed to sink just a little bit more, apparently, as Morel launched a three-run shot to the bleachers in right-center field.
As he rounded the bases, he lost his mind. With good reason, of course:
Morel’s energy was matched by those in attendance, as you can see from these two incredible angles. First, an overhead view of Wrigley Field:
And then this view from the stands:
The 4-3 victory improved the Cubs to 62-58 on the season, keeping them tied with the Cincinnati Reds and the Miami Marlins for the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League. For a team that struggled early in the year, and endured a brutal May with a 10-18 record, there is energy around the Cubs right now.
Energy we all saw on Wednesday night.
After the game, Morel talked about how Santos struck him out on Tuesday, and Wednesday night was “his time:”
That time included an epic spin around the bases.
