(670 The Score) Nationals outfielder Kyle Scwharber had a couple simple goals Monday as he returned to Wrigley Field, which he called his professional home for the six previous years.
“I will try to keep my emotions in check and not try to hit a nine-run homer,” Schwarber said with a laugh.
Schwarber will attempt to do that as he faces his former team for the first time. He joined the Nationals on a one-year deal in free agency after the Cubs non-tendered him and let him walk last winter. Schwarber will hit cleanup and play left field behind left-hander Jon Lester, another Cubs icon whom he teamed up with to help lead the team to great heights.
"It was nice being able to walk in here again,” Schwarber said. "A lot of great memories here. It looks the same as we left it. It will be fun and exciting.”
Schwarber was appreciative of his Cubs career and the support he received in Chicago.
"I wouldn’t say I am living in the past,” Schwarber said. “But there are a lot of things I learned here that made me the man I am today. There are things that you definitely keep with you. It's hard to forget because this is where you came up and grew up in the big leagues. You had the people here around you that helped form you into a big league player.”
Schwarber will forever live on in Cubs lore for his iconic, towering home runs in the playoffs and most notably his triumphant return and strong production in the 2016 World Series. Schwarber was expected to miss the entire campaign after tearing multiple knee ligaments early that season, but he worked rigorously to get back in playing shape earlier than expected and then hit .412 with a .971 OPS in the World Series. That cemented his status as a Cubs hero.
"With him getting hurt and coming back after getting hurt in 2016 and showing his heart and character in the World Series, you could never tell if he was up or down,” Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. “He always brought good energy every day. He created a lot of great memories and real friendships. I wish him nothing but the best.”
Schwarber had his best season in Chicago in 2019, when he had 38 homers, 92 RBIs and an .871 OPS. But his production dipped in 2020, when he hit .188 with a .701 OPS in 59 games in the shortened season.
Despite the ending, Schwarber’s influence will never be forgotten.
"The personality was infectious from the day he got here,” said Cubs manager David Ross, who was Schwarber’s teammate in 2015 and 2016. “He was always fun to be around. What he did for our group in the World Series is well-documented. All the big home runs he hit in 2015 and ‘16 – he hits the ball as hard as anyone and has some of the best left-handed power in the game when he is locked in.”
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.