(670 The Score) Much to the chagrin of fans, manager David Ross and the Cubs didn't give a pair of iconic players one last opportunity to be showered with love at Wrigley Field on Thursday afternoon.
First baseman Anthony Rizzo and infielder/outfielder Kris Bryant both sat out the entirety of the Cubs' 7-4 loss to the Reds. Both had been landing in constant trade speculation as the deadline looms Friday afternoon, so Thursday represented what was expected to be their last chance to play as teammates at Wrigley Field.
Sure enough, that was the case, as news broke about an hour after the game ended that the Cubs have agreed to a deal to trade Rizzo to the Yankees. Bryant is expected to be moved before the deadline Friday as well.
Ross' refusal to insert Bryant and Rizzo as pinch-hitters in the ninth inning didn't sit well with 670 afternoon host Matt Spiegel.
"I'm really disappointed in David Ross today," Spiegel said right after the Cubs game ended and before the Rizzo trade news broke. "Baseball lends itself to ceremony. It begs for ceremony. And the relationship between that is potentially ending tomorrow, the relationship that is potentially finished in terms of public interaction today with this final home game, it's not just with Kris Bryant and the organization or Anthony Rizzo and the organization. It's with these guys and the fans. Bryant and the fans and perhaps Rizzo and the fans, to not get those guys up to bat is a crime against the fans. It really is. I understand that David Ross is trying to win a game and he thinks he doesn't need a pinch-hitter until the nine hole. But David, the front office has made it clear, the big goal of this week, the big goal of this moment, it's not about winning the games anymore. That's not what it's about. It's about the big picture.
"Every once in a while there's a rare moment for a manager to do the same, to think of the bigger picture and to do right by the player and to do right by the fans. Kris Bryant wanted to hit."
After the game, Ross explained his focus was on trying to win – perhaps saving Bryant and/or Rizzo for an at-bat in which they could've been the tying run. Ross added he would've pinch-hit Bryant if the game had lasted another two batters. Bryant was up in the dugout with a bat, giving the appearance that he wanted to hit. He sat in the dugout for several minutes after the loss, surveying the scene and the iconic Wrigley Field, where he has spent his entire seven-year MLB career.
Here's Kris Bryant soaking in Wrigley Field for what may be the last time. An emotional moment for both Bryant and Cubs fans.
— Cubs Live (@Cubs_Live) July 29, 2021
If this is it - Thank you, KB! pic.twitter.com/P5Z83knxhp
