CHICAGO — Ian Happ glided to his right, tracking a fly ball off the bat of Gavin Sheets and leaned on his experience to try and make a play.
The Chicago Cubs left fielder, who has won three straight National League Gold Gloves, knows the intricacies of Wrigley Field and the lack of space down the foul lines. He used that to his advantage to dive and snare the ball out of the air, picking up the first out of the seventh inning and robbing the pinch hitter of a knock.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to play left field here for a number of years in a row and just knowing the way the ball moves, knowing how it’s going to come off the bat and kind of where that warning track, where that wall is, all those things, the familiarity helps a lot,” Happ said after the Cubs’ 7-1 win.
It was the highlight of a milestone day for the Cubs’ homegrown outfielder. Saturday was Happ’s 1,000th career game – the third Cub to be drafted and play 1,000 games with the Cub, joining Mark Grace and Shawon Dunston, per team historian Ed Hartig. He’s the eighth active player to reach 1,000 games with one team, per Elias Sports Bureau.
Happ had a custom Cubs jersey with his name and “1000” emblazoned on the back at his locker in the Cubs’ clubhouse. The jersey had been signed by every one of his teammates.
“Anytime you’re on a list like that, it’s really cool,” Happ said. “I think for me to do it here, have 1,000 games in this uniform, in this city, all the great guys that have come through; coaches, people, support staff, everybody that’s helped make it happen. It means a lot but just going out there with the fans being able to do that now – I’m so proud to be a Cub and I think that that short list of three is really cool.”
As he stepped up for his first plate appearance to lead off the bottom of the first, the left field video board had a graphic commemorating the achievement and he received a standing ovation from the 35,391 fans in attendance at Wrigley Field.
“I was trying not to get emotional out there,” Happ said. “It was pretty special. Getting a standing [ovation], being able to tip the helmet to the fans and teammates, [former teammate and current Padres outfielder] Jason [Heyward] being in the other dugout, all those things were really special and kind of just a really cool moment.”
The first pitch was a 91.3 mph fastball that was up and slightly in that brushed Happ off the plate.
“Yep, that was a good start to the 1-0 count,” Happ quipped.
Two pitches later, he deposited a double off the center field wall.
The at-bat was a perfect microcosm of his career, in a way. Happ’s path to the milestone number wasn’t smooth sailing. He had a solid 2018 campaign, appearing in 142 games, but then came the option to the minor leagues to open 2019, where he spent three months at Triple-A Iowa. Then came the struggles of 2021, where he was hitting .181 with a .628 OPS at the trade deadline. He turned it around over the final 57 games that season, and his career really took off after that.
He was an All-Star in 2022, won the first of his three consecutive Gold Gloves and then signed an extension ahead of the 2023 season that will keep him in Chicago through next season. In the process, he became the longest-tenured Cub and a bridge from the 2016 World Series team to what the Cubs hope is the next core that can return to the playoffs.
“I was lucky to play with a lot of really great players here,” Happ said. “[Anthony Rizzo] obviously played 1,000 games here and just learning from those guys, learning what it takes to go out there and play every day, what it takes to have a season where you play over 155 games, those little things.
“Rizz was taught by guys before him and, so, I hope to carry that forward to the guys in this room.”
