Jared Young just had to come back to Iowa to say goodbye to his old teammates on the last game of the season.
And what a farewell it was.
Young ended the game Wednesday against the Toledo Mud Hens at Principal Park in Des Moines, Iowa, in spectacular fashion, crushing a walk-off home run over the centre field wall in the ninth inning to score the final two runs in a 4-2 victory.
Young 's smile as he rounded the bases into an icy Gatorade shower from his waiting teammates at home plate told the story. It's a smile the people of Prince George have seen often this season watching their hometown boy take the baseball world by storm.
Young's two-week stint as a member of the Chicago Cubs ended Tuesday when the Cubs sent the 27-year-old Prince George native back to triple-A Iowa to make room on the major league roster for returning veterans Willson Contreras (back from injured reserve) and Seiya Suzuki (returned from paternity leave).
Young played third base for the Iowa Cubs in Wednesday's game and was hitting fifth in the order. He also singled in the third inning to finish 2-for-5 at the plate.
Young’s debut as the first-ever Prince George-born Major League Baseball player was nothing short of spectacular. In front of a home crowd of nearly 32,000 at Wrigley Field in Chicago he clubbed his first major league hit in his first game, a double off Colorado Rockies pitcher Justin Lawrence.
In 19 at-bats in five games with Chicago, Young had five hits, including two doubles, for a .263 batting average. He scored two runs on seven total bases, drew three walks, stole a base and compiled a .364 on-base percentage. He also showed stellar defensive skills in two games playing first base, recording 17 put-outs on 17 total chances and had no errors. Young also had played three error-free innings at right field and was the Cubs designated hitter in two games.
Ranked ninth in the International League’s West Division with a 67-81 record, the Iowa Cubs will not advance to the playoffs.
