CHICAGO — The rivalry between the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers has been heated over the last seven years, thanks to the proximity of the cities, the fact both teams were usually contenders for the National League Central title and the presence of Willson Contreras.
But the Brewers are heavily favored to win the division this season while the Cubs have transitioned since last summer’s sell-off.
There were thousands of empty seats at Wrigley Field on Thursday for opening day and even more on a frigid Saturday afternoon that saw the Cubs cruise to a 9-0 win in a chippy game that included a benches-clearing incident in the eighth after Keegan Thompson hit Brewers outfielder Andrew McCutchen.
Despite an announced crowd of 30,369, only the bleachers were mostly filled on a 44-degree afternoon with a stiff wind blowing in from right field.
Is it just an early-season blip caused by the cold spring weather? The aftereffects of the lockout?
Or has the vibe changed at Wrigley since the Cubs unloaded their biggest stars and went into semi-rebuild mode?
“I didn’t sense any difference on opening day at all, really,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said before Saturday’s game. “I think it’s the same vibe. At the beginning of the season every team should be hopeful.”
The Cubs once again gave hope to the notion they’re not content to be wannabes in 2022, starting off the season 2-0 for the first time since 2016.
Justin Steele threw five shutout innings, rookie Seiya Suzuki drove in three runs and the Cubs took advantage of the wildness of Brewers pitchers, who combined to walk seven, hit three batters and a allow a run on a wild pitch.
Naturally, one of the Cubs plunked was Contreras, who has been hit in both of the first two games of the series and 15 times by Brewers pitchers in his career. Contreras took a few deep breaths after being hit in the back and walked calmly to first but clearly was annoyed at the frequency of the wayward pitches.
Ian Happ was hit in the left knee by a Trevor Gott slider in the seventh, forcing him to leave the game. Thompson threw inside to McCutchen the next inning, backing him off, then plunked him, prompting McCutchen to bark at the pitcher down the baseline as Contreras trailed behind and yakked at him.
There was nothing but tough talk between the teams as they met on the infield. Thompson was ejected for throwing at McCutchen.
The Cubs went 4-15 against the Brewers last season but on Sunday will attempt to pull off a three-game sweep. Marcus Stroman, their first big free-agent signing of the offseason, is scheduled to make his Cubs debut.
Woodruff, who finished fifth in National League Cy Young voting last season, put the Brewers in a quick hole only six batters into the bottom of the first without allowing a hit. He started off with a walk, a hit batter and two more walks, forcing home a run on a free pass to Happ.
Frank Schwindel’s RBI groundout and Suzuki’s sacrifice fly — his first major-league run batted in — handed the Cubs a 3-0 lead. They batted around in the fifth off Woodruff and reliever José Ureña, scoring two of their three runs on Ureña’s bases-loaded walk to Suzuki and a wild pitch, turning the game into a laugher.
The Cubs aren’t anyone’s pick to win the division, but none of the players are looking at this as a rebuilding season.
“I don’t think the guys feel that way at all,” Schwindel said. “Everybody is hungry. Everybody has had a good spring. We’ve got a couple big additions with Suzuki, Stroman, some of the relievers.
“I don’t know. I think everybody is feeling pretty good and excited about this season, especially with a couple more playoff spots thrown in there. That’s the goal.”
And while Cubs-Brewers might not have the history of the Cubs-St. Louis Cardinals rivalry, the Cardinals never went to any great lengths to keep Cubs fans out of their ballpark. The Brewers famously did that in 2018 with a presale of tickets to games at Miller Park that was limited to Wisconsin residents.
It’s too soon to say the rivalry has been muted or if Saturday’s brouhaha will ignite a spark to last the rest of the season. We might know better by the end of the month, when the Cubs travel to Milwaukee for their first three-game series at the stadium formerly known as Miller Park.
Counsell said he didn’t know what to expect.
“It’s always surprising how many (Cubs fans) are there,” he said. “But this is a big city, a far bigger city than Milwaukee. And I understand it’s more convenient for a lot of fans. It’s the same travel time (as going to Wrigley Field from the north suburbs) and it’s easier in and out.
“I get it. I think we have a good venue, and the ease of access is one of the great parts about Milwaukee to begin with, so I understand why Chicago people access it.”
And Cubs fans still love Milwaukee’s ballpark, which features a retractable dome and plenty of great food options.
“Yeah,” Counsell said. “And the game is certainly a big deal.”
The more Cubs players get hit by pitches, the bigger a deal it could be.
