Every successive milestone checked off by a brand new big leaguer is a hard-won result of years of hard work. That first Major League hit, home run or strikeout represents not just the achievement of an extraordinary goal but also the countless sacrifices that player had to make on his journey.
We aren't typically talking about players literally giving the clothes off their back -- or the shoes off their feet, as it were -- to get their first big league RBIs, but it takes all kinds.
Moisés Ballesteros, the Cubs' No. 4 prospect as ranked by MLB Pipeline, collected his first two RBIs on Friday against the White Sox. He couldn't have asked for a better setting for such a moment, either -- playing in his first day game at Wrigley Field while also getting a taste of the Cubs-White Sox crosstown rivalry. Even better, for his first RBI, he was also set up to drive in the Cubs' first run of the game in support of Cade Horton, who was making his own second big league appearance (and first MLB start.)
Here's the thing. The guy on the mound, White Sox right-hander Shane Smith, has a great changeup, which may give you a hint as to where this is going. Because the 21-year-old rookie did what pitchers intend for hitters to do with 91.8 mph changeups -- he got way out in front and actually swung out of his shoes.
Or ... shoe, singular. Point being, it was never just a saying.
Ballesteros' 72.4 mph chopper hit directly to first base probably wouldn't stick in your mind otherwise, but the fielder's choice brought Michael Busch home from third and later led to Ballesteros scoring his first run on a home run by Pete Crow-Armstrong later in the inning.
When all is said and done, it's likely to be overshadowed by his first Major League hit, which came later in the afternoon as the Cubs really poured it on for a 13-3 win -- but few players can claim a first career RBI quite so charmingly memorable.