CHICAGO — Jared Young had a debut to remember for the Chicago Cubs on Friday and the faithful inside the Friendly Confines let him know they were glad to have him on the field.
In his first-ever MLB action, Young ripped an eighth-inning double and made some solid defensive plays at first base to support starting pitcher Marcus Stroman’s strong outing as the Chicago Cubs posted a 2-1 decision over the Colorado Rockies on Friday afternoon.
Jared Young had plenty of things to remember about his Friday debut with the Chicago Cubs
Batting sixth, Young went 1-for-4 in his debut, with his first MLB hit coming off Colorado reliever Justin Lawrence in the eighth to the delight of his family members in attendance as part of the 31,775 fans watching on a sun-splashed day on the North Side.
First major league hit for Jared Young! 👏 pic.twitter.com/XWRTn3N5EN
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) September 16, 2022
“A lot of excitement. A lot of relief. It felt great.” Young said about his first MLB hit. “That was probably the loudest building I’ve ever been in, so that was really cool. I really enjoyed that. It was a good day.”
Young played part of the 2021 season and all of the 2022 campaign with Triple-A Iowa, and his former teammates “erupted in cheers” when the 15th-round draft pick in 2017 came through with his double.
“I love those guys. I really do. That team’s awesome,” Young said. “I’ve spent the last year and a half or so in Iowa, and I’ve become insanely close with all of them. Yeah, that means a ton. Those are my guys.”
Young also showed his defensive prowess at first base as well as Stroman opened the game with 5.2 no-hit innings. The no-hitter was intact for that long thanks to some solid Cubs infield defense, including Young with the timely pick at first base.
With experience at first and third base, as well as in the corner outfield spots, it will be interesting to see how Young is used the rest of the season. But whatever happens for the rest of the campaign, he certainly made a splash on Friday.