March 06--SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Kyle Schwarber wasn't too impressed by his first game in a Cubs uniform, which included a grand slam in his first at-bat on his 22nd birthday.
"Overall, it's an OK day," he said.
An "OK day"?
The Cubs will take a few more "OK days" like that.
Schwarber, the first-round pick in last June's draft, was used at DH in a split-squad lineup against the Giants that included Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and Jorge Soler. With Soler, Wellington Castillo and Bryant on base in the first, Schwarber launched a Ryan Vogelsong pitch over the right field fence to give the Cubs a 4-0 lead.
With Rick Sutcliffe as bench coach, you knew what was next.
"They gave me the silent treatment for a little bit," he said. "But then they came around and gave me all high fives and stuff. It's cool."
Schwarber said he doesn't know when the Cubs plan on giving him his first game behind the plate. The Cubs need to give Castillo playing time to try and deal him, and Miguel Montero and David Ross will be regulars.
"Whenever that day comes I'll be ready back there," he said. "I'm looking forward to it."
He's here to hit right now, and Schwarber started off on the right foot on Thursday.
"It's a little ironic it was my birthday," he said. "I was nervous the whole time there. I don't know why. I mean, it's the first game, everyone's going to be nervous, but it's a little bit different situation there with the bases loaded and it's you're first at-bat. Once I calmed down the nerves I kind of took over the at-bat.
"But that's not the thing I really look at right now. It's more the other two at-bats (a groundout and flyout)... I battled back my second and the third I missed my pitch and got under it. Those are the things I really look at right now."
In the eighth inning, Billy McKinney, acquired from the A's with Russell in the Jeff Samardzija deal, also homered in his first at-bat as a Cub.
"We're just regular baseball guys," Schwarber said. "We're just regular guys having fun. We don't take it as a job. We take it as fun. We love what we do, and I think that's another reason why the Cubs are taking the right step. Now the culture is kind of changing. With the off-season moves we had, everything is a lot brighter around spring training. Everyone is high energy. It's a lot of fun to be around."
