CHICAGO (670 The Score) -- The home run ball returned as the main vehicle for the Cubs' 6-5 win against the Athletics on Monday evening, and it was star shortstop Javier Baez celebrating a key anniversary of his in style.
Baez hit two of the Cubs' four homers to lead his team to the victory at Wrigley Field, five years to the day after he also homered in his MLB debut on Aug. 5, 2014.
"I have been through a lot," Baez said of his five years in the big leagues. "I try to learn something every day. David Ross told me something important. He said, 'Don't try to learn so much right away.' He said just play and let the game teach me what I wanted to know. That was big for me."
Baez tied the game at 2-2 with a 454-foot solo homer in the sixth inning. After Ian Happ broke the tie with a solo shot in the seventh, Baez later followed with a two-run blast to extend the lead to 6-2. The Cubs would need all of the insurance runs in holding off the Athletics on the same day they placed closer Craig Kimbrel on the injured list with right knee inflammation.
Happ's homer was his first of the season after he spent nearly four months at Triple-A Iowa upon a demotion in spring training. And he got all of it, as it went 474 feet, the longest by a Cubs player in 2019.
"He did not miss that pitch," manager Joe Maddon said. "Typically, Ian walks around with a lot of self-confidence. He is staying ready and working very hard. We will try and match him up at the right time."
Recently acquired outfielder Nick Castellanos homered in the first inning to open the scoring for the Cubs. He's made an early impression on his new team, and Baez has done the same to him.
"I played with Javy in the fall league back in 2012," Castellanos said. "He has a bit more tattoos, now but the same guy. He is a special man. Back then, you could see the raw tools. He was more of a free swinger. He swung and missed a lot more. He has perfected it as he has got older."
For Baez, it was the type of night that had him appreciating his MLB journey, which began when he hit a go-ahead homer in the 12th inning of a win against the Rockies at Coors Field.
"My first at-bat (five years ago), I struck out," Baez said. "I looked at my family in the stands and they were screaming like I hit a homer. It was really fun."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
