Kyle Schwarber's iconic NL Division Series home run ball has been returned to its rightful place atop a Wrigley Field scoreboard after its winter hiatus.
Much was made over the implications of the offseason removal of the ball-turned-postseason relic, which traveled 419 feet in giving the Cubs a 6-4 lead in their eventual Game 4 win over the Cardinals. On Monday, Cubs president of business operations Crane Kenney told Chicago's 670 The Score the decision was made recently to place the ball back on the right-field video board for the rest of the season.
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“We didn’t want anyone who might have been able to climb up there to get a hold of it,” Kenney said of its offseason absence, “so we took it down. But as we debated internally about where does it belong, we thought it kind of belongs where it landed. So it’s back up there in a glass case.”
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Superstitious Cubs fans can rest easy, though some may say tinkering with the ball already has brought the club bad luck.
Schwarber, who was expected to contribute heavily for the World Series favorites, is lost for the season after tearing the ACL and LCL in his left knee the Cubs' third game.
Kenney said the ball will serve as a tribute to the fallen slugger in the meantime.
