CHICAGO -- The baseball that Owen Caissie launched over the left-center gap on Tuesday afternoon hit the bleachers and ricocheted back into the outfield. By the time the Cubs rookie was receiving high fives and helmet slaps in the home dugout, the ball had been relayed in for safe keeping.
Kyle Tucker received the baseball and carried it through the dugout to deliver to a nearby authenticator. That was fitting, as Caissie’s first career blast in the big leagues came on a day he filled in for Tucker as Chicago’s right fielder. And the big prospect helped power the Cubs’ 6-4 win over the rival Brewers in Game 1 of the day’s doubleheader.
“He was the impact in this game that we needed,” Cubs starter Matthew Boyd said.
Boyd was smiling wide in the dugout and gave Caissie an emphatic slap on the back as the rookie made his way through the line of teammates. With the Cubs trying to cut into the separation the first-place Brewers have created in the National League Central race, the young outfielder notched his first career multihit game, homer and RBIs.
The rookie enjoyed the reception by the fans in the right-field stands after his first career blast in the sixth.
“It was pretty cool hearing them chant my name,” Caissie said.
Caissie not only hammered his solo shot -- one that rocketed off the bat at 105.2 mph -- off Brewers righty Shelby Miller but also pulled a two-run, bases-loaded single to right to spark the offense in the first inning. Combined with Willi Castro’s three-run homer, it was enough to hold off an in-game push by the pesky Brewers lineup.
In Tuesday’s night game, Caissie added an RBI single off Brewers righty Brandon Woodruff as the Cubs swept the twin bill.
“Owen’s a hitter,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “He hits the ball really hard, and he can put the ball out of the park anywhere. That’s going to be real. And he’s going to get better at that as he gains experience.”
Brewers manager Pat Murphy was certainly impressed.
"It looks like he's a big-time prospect, 6-[foot]-12, and he's a redhead,” Murphy said. “There's not too many redheads in the big leagues who can't hit. Check it out. They don't bring redheads up here if they can't hit. Yeah, what a skilled player he is. A good-looking player."
Caissie has also shown off his range in the outfield.
In Monday’s game, Caissie made an impressive running catch in left-center field in the second, ending with a firm introduction to the ivy-covered wall. In the third inning in Game 1 on Tuesday, he chased down two balls in Wrigley Field’s tricky right-field corner, where the wind toys with fly balls and there is little foul ground.
“It’s his first time out there in right in Wrigley,” said Boyd, who walked away with the win after 5 1/3 innings of work. “Those were awesome.”
Sitting in the interview room after the game, Caissie said he was just happy to help the Cubs find the win column. He was asked what the emotions and feelings were like internally, even as he offered measured quotes and displayed a calm demeanor on the field.
“Kind of just blackout, really,” Caissie said with a smile. “Especially on the home run. I hit it and -- ‘hit the ball and run.’ I didn’t even think about it going over the fence, especially with the wind. It’s just kind of a blackout mentality.”
Caissie’s big game came a day after the 23-year-old outfielder -- Pipeline’s top Cubs prospect and No. 45 on the Top 100 list -- connected for the first hit of his MLB career. He was summoned from Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday for his MLB debut in Toronto, which is near to where the native Canadian grew up in Burlington, Ontario.
“We all know what’s ahead of us and the excitement that comes with that,” Boyd said. “He’s part of this team now, and he’s doing his part to help us win. It’s just so awesome. It’s fun to be a part of something bigger than yourself.”
The Cubs promoted Caissie from Triple-A Iowa after he hit 22 homers with a .955 OPS in 93 games, but they knew his playing time would be sporadic given the MLB outfield core consisting of Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki and Tucker. For Tuesday, Cubs manager Craig Counsell opted to give Tucker a “reset” on the bench amid his recent struggles, opening the opportunity for Caissie.
Caissie’s time as a lineup regular will come. He certainly looked the part while filling in.
“I really just told myself: ‘You’re made for this,’” he said.