We’re looking back at some of the most memorable moments from the Chicago Cubs 2022 campaign.
MLB’s regular season has come to an end. The Chicago Cubs have played their final game until next Spring Training. Many fans are already looking toward next season, but it’s important to appreciate some of the memorable moments of 2022. Many would consider this season a disappointment, and by most metrics, it probably was. At the end of the day, the team performed about how they were expected to. Many projections and betting lines had the Cubs winning around 75 games before the season. Ultimately, they wrapped up their season with a record of 74-88.
Although this season wasn’t one that fans dream of, there were definitely several positive moments and takeaways that fans should appreciate.
Christopher Morel’s debut and on-base streak
Fans won’t soon forget rookie Christopher Morel’s debut back in May. Morel sent a home run onto Waveland in his first major league at-bat.
The Friendly Confines can't contain Christopher Morel. pic.twitter.com/GUh9loc1jo
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 18, 2022
Morel broke onto the scene with this home run, but he didn’t stop there. The Cubs rookie got on base in 22 straight games to start his career. According to Jesse Rogers, this hasn’t been accomplished since 2003.
Ian Happ and Willson Contreras rep the Cubs at the All-Star Game
A lot of noise surrounded Ian Happ and Willson Contreras in the first half. As the trade deadline got closer, that noise seemed to become louder. Happ and Contreras were recognized as All-Stars for 2022 and respesented the Cubs in Los Angeles. Around the same time, it seemed these two players were nearing the end of their time with the Chicago Cubs.
One of the “bigger-than-baseball” moments of the MLB season came when Willson Contreras and his brother William represented the National League together as All-Stars.
Willson Contreras (C) and William Contreras (DH) will be the first brothers to start the All-Star Game for the same league (NL) in the same year for the first time since Roberto Alomar and Sandy Alomar Jr. did it in 1992.
H/T @MLB pic.twitter.com/RGsxwGbEU4
— The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) July 10, 2022
The Cubs at the Trade Deadline
Many fans were shocked to find out that the Cubs had not dealt either Happ or Contreras at the trade deadline. Fans were happy to welcome back two of their longest-tenured players to Wrigley.
Wrigley faithful welcomes Ian Happ back in left field. 🙌🏼
(📸: @WatchMarquee) pic.twitter.com/p8o48R2hNc
— Cubs Zone ™️ (@CubsZone) August 5, 2022
Thankfully, the Cubs were still able to pull off some promising trades. Perhaps the biggest trade they made was with the New York Yankees. The Cubs received pitching prospect Hayden Wesneski for the young reliever Scott Effross.
Hayden Wesneski’s debut
Naturally, the next big moment of this season came when newly acquired Hayden Wesneski made his debut. Cubs fans were introduced to Wesneski’s strikeout strut back in early September. In fact, they got to see it eight times that night when he pitched five innings of shut-out ball and recorded the win.
Hayden Wesneski's big league debut:
5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K
and the W. pic.twitter.com/CIwwpmufCk
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 7, 2022
Later that month, Wesneski even recorded an immaculate inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Pat Hughes Hall of Fame induction
One of the more memorable off-the-field moments came when longtime Cubs radio broadcaster, Pat Hughes, was informed that he will be inducted into the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame. Back in late August, Hughes was surprised with this news on-air by Crane Kenney.
Pat Hughes finds out he's being inducted into the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame: pic.twitter.com/gKgQoOdMLh
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 25, 2022
Pete Crow-Armstrong turns heads
After coming over from the New York Mets at last year’s deadline, prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong quickly shot to the top of the Cubs pipeline. Crow-Armstrong had no shortage of web gem plays out in centerfield for South Bend and Myrtle Beach. PCA also slashed .312/.376/.520 in 2022 with 16 homers and perhaps even more impressively, 10 triples.
ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER PETE-CROW ARMSTRONG HIGHLIGHT 🔥
(📸: @ballskwok) pic.twitter.com/46W8iL6ZqQ
— Cubs Zone ™️ (@CubsZone) August 12, 2022
Cubs win at Field of Dreams
The Chicago Cubs faced the Cincinnati Reds in the 2nd annual Field of Dreams game. Unfortunately, the MLB isn’t expected to continue this yearly matchup for the time being. With Drew Smyly on the mound, the Cubs defeated the Reds 4-2 with a strong performance from Nick Madrigal and others.
Seiya Suzuki’s inside-the-park home run
One of the more chaotic plays of the 2022 season came on Independence Day in Milwaukee. Seiya Suzuki hit an inside-the-park homer off Josh Hader. Hader has been one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball the past few seasons, so this play came as a shock to everyone.
Go-ahead inside-the-park home run for Seiya Suzuki! pic.twitter.com/hLqj5Idd4i
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 4, 2022
Cubs beat Pirates 21-0
Way back in April, the Chicago Cubs decimated the Pittsburgh Pirates. The score of 21-0 had several historical implications according to ESPN. Perhaps the craziest part about this onslaught from the Cubs was that they still managed to lose the series.
The Cubs' 21-0 win over the Pirates ties the 3rd-largest shutout win in MLB's modern era (since 1900). It's the largest shutout victory in Cubs history. pic.twitter.com/7q8SyrCeZz
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 23, 2022
Optimism for 2023
It’s important to take some positives away from this season. The Cubs starting pitchers were dominant in the second half, and young players like Nico Hoerner, Justin Steele, Christopher Morel, and others showed great promise. The Chicago Cubs currently have the 9th-ranked farm system. These reinforcements will be huge for this club that went 39-31 in the second half this year.
Marcus Stroman recently stated that the Cubs are just a few pieces away from competing, and many expect the Cubs to spend quite generously this offseason. Hopefully, when Spring Training begins, the team will have bolstered its roster in more ways than one.
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