It was early March 2015. I was sitting on the seat at the Charlotte Sports Park, Florida, watching a spring training game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays. Spring in Florida is always nice, it’s even better when there is baseball. Baseball’s return this year is still unknown, however, the sound of that spring training game became vivid again for me.
Charlotte Sports Park is a very good destination for spring training and it was the USA Today 2014 Readers' Choice Award for Best Spring Training Facility. I felt quite lucky to be able to watch a game there. The good thing of a spring training game is that you can truly enjoy watching the game since the result doesn’t matter. I was probably sitting in the first few rows, a very good place to watch a game. The game had just begun, guys behind me were repeating the starting lineup. Then one guy came up with a question loudly, “Where is Zobrist?” “Where is Ben Zobrist?”
Ben Zobrist had played for the Rays for 9 seasons, from 2006 to 2014. He was one of the iconic players of the Rays. In the Rays history, his WAR ranks 3rd.
At that moment, for me, it was a moment that I didn’t know how to explain well. On one hand, at a certain level, that guy is a Rays fan, so it’s unusual for him to see the Rays lineup without Zobrist. On the other hand, it was the spring training, he might not pay much attention to off-season news and didn’t notice that Zobrist was already traded to the Oakland Athletics in January 2015.
2015 was a busy year for Zobrist. He was traded to the A’s in January, playing 67 games. Before the trade deadline, he was traded again, to the Kansas City Royals. He hit .284/.364/.453 in 59 games with the Royals. Also, he played an important role in the playoffs. He collected 20 hits in the 2015 playoffs, particularly 2 home runs in the ALCS. The Royals won the World Series championship, ending the 30-year World Series title drought.
Zobrist didn’t return to the Royals. He signed a 4-year contract with the Chicago Cubs on December 8, 2015. Again, Zobrist played in the World Series. The 2016 World Series is one of the most dramatic fall classics. Ben Zobrist became the hero of the Cubs. He hit a go-ahead double to drive in Albert Almora Jr. for a 7-6 Cubs lead in the top of the 10th inning. The Cubs won the World Series and this time, the team’s 108-year World Series championship drought came to an end. Curse ended. Zobrist was the World Series MVP. Looking at Zobrist’s stats in the World Series, he only drove in 2 runs, all in the 2016 World Series. Before stepping up to the plate in the top of the 10th inning, Zobrist had been 0-for-4. However, he delivered one of the most important hits in his career and in Cubs history.
Zobrist announced retirement. His last plate appearance in the World Series was the double that will be remembered by baseball fans. He played 16 games in the fall classics, collecting 2 RBIs. He didn’t have any RBIs when he played for the Rays and Royals. But the 2 RBIs in the 2016 WS became so huge. It’s October baseball, there is always something unbelievable.
Baseball’s return in 2020 has become uncertain. The guy, who was calling Zobrist, now might speak out loudly, “Where is the baseball?”
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