Chicago, IL – Hundreds of Chicago Cubs fans have signed a petition in an attempt to erect a statue of rookie phenom, Javy Baez, in the center field of Wrigley Field. This comes after Baez made his Major League debut, what all Cubs fans are referring to as the greatest single game performance in Chicago Cubs history. The rookie outfielder hit the game winning home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to beat the Colorado Rockies. His stat-line was an impressive 1-6 with 3 strikeouts and no walks.
While many have raised questions about the placement of the potential statue in center field, local town drunk and Cubs fan Barry Burns stated, “We want to put the statue in a place where all fans and players alike can salute and remember such a great player.” This greatness was best characterized by and ESPN poll in which Cubs fans were asked who they thought was greatest Cubs player of all time. Baez received 36% of the vote before he had even played an inning of Major League Baseball.
The petition has continued to grow rapidly since the conclusion of Tuesday nights game, and has caught the attention of both the Cubs executives and Chicago city officials. A statement from the Cubs front office acknowledged and gave support to the petition stating, “We will do anything to get people to buy tickets. We don’t give a damn.” When asked about the potential statue at Wrigley, Chicago mayor Rahm Emmanuel also stated, “Where’s that?”
Regardless of whether or not the statue goes up, it is clear that Baez has captivated a city. In Wednesday nights 13-4 loss to Colorado, 727 Cubs fans were counted leaving Coors Field in the fifth inning, 37 more than the night before. Baez went 0-4.
Update — Javy Baez has become only the second person in Major League Baseball history to hit three home runs in their first three games. Baez statue will added to Wrigley within the next two weeks, reports say.