WATCH: Chavez makes wild defensive assist in Cubs debut |
CHICAGO — After getting acquired from the Texas Rangers earlier in the week, middle reliever Jesse Chavez had a successful debut for the Chicago Cubs in their 7-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday afternoon.
The 34-year-old right-hander, who is currently playing for his ninth big-league club, pitched two scoreless innings to finish off the Cubs win, going six up, six down in the eighth and ninth frames. Chavez's most impressive contribution came in the form of a heads-up defensive play that resulted in a crazy glove assist. On a hard-hit chopper by Cardinals center fielder Tommy Pham, Chavez reached up over his head in an attempt at snagging the comebacker but was only able to skim the baseball with his glove. Chavez's attempt paid off for the Cubs, as the ball ricocheted off Chavez's glove right in the direction of second baseman Ben Zobrist. Zobrist corralled the ball in the air and quickly fired over to first baseman Anthony Rizzo to record the out. If not for Chavez's quick reaction, the hit likely would have resulted in an infield single for the speedy Pham, but, instead, it resulted in one of six consecutive outs forced by the Chicago newcomer. Jesse Chavez approves! #Cubs pic.twitter.com/FtOsGXfJHT
