Jason Heyward took a lot of heat for his struggles during the postseason, but he stepped up for the Chicago Cubs in a critical situation.
After Game 7 of the World Series resumed from a rain delay to start the 10th, the Cubs came out and scored two runs to take an 8-6 lead, and they won the game 8-7. Anthony Rizzo says Heyward played a valuable part in adjusting the Cubs’ focus.
“Honestly, we just got together. Jason Heyward called a meeting — only the players,” Rizzo told FOX’s Ken Rosenthal after the win. “And we rallied together. We rallied strong. We knew we could do this. And we pulled together, and the boys believed. And we won.”
Heyward hit just .230 in the regular season, and he had just five hits and one RBI in the postseason, while going 0-for-5 in Game 7. But apparently he brought some much-needed leadership to the Cubs at a critical time, and it helped them win the World Series.
“I just had to remind them who they were,” Heyward told FOX’s Tom Verducci. “I just had to remind everybody who we are. Who these guys are and what we overcame to get here. Win or lose — we never worry about that. We just worry about going out and having fun and not taking the situation for granted. I just had to remind them of that. I’m proud of these guys.”
If Heyward’s meeting helped the team win it all, then it doesn’t really matter if he hit .094 in the playoffs, because it all came together for a championship in the end.
