Levine: Revamped Wrigley Field Bleachers A Hit For Players, Fans
By Bruce Levine--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The new bleachers at Wrigley Field were a hit all the way around Monday evening, as the Cubs opened 3,000 seats in left field and center field for the first time since starting reconstruction of the ballpark last September.
Cubs rookie third baseman Kris Bryant hit the first home run into the new left-field section. The towering blast in the first inning went to the back rows of the bleachers and was a drive that may have gone out of the park in prior seasons before the back walls were raised and the seating area recessed.
Anthony Rizzo made it back-to-back home runs of off Jacob deGrom by following Bryant's blast with one of his own. Chicago won the game over the New York Mets, 4-3.
"No doubt," Rizzo said about the renewed energy emanating from the fans in the bleachers. "They brought certainly a little bit more than normal (energy). They brought a lot of noise from left and center. They were really going all game. It is exciting to have them back. It was exciting to have them cheering for you in the bleachers, when we came out (for BP)."
Rizzo and Cubs starter Jon Lester are both cancer survivors, and they were also among the Cubs players who were delighted with the "pink-out" in the bleachers as part of breast cancer awareness night at the ballpark.
"Absolutely you could tell the difference," Lester said. "Warming up, you had people out there. They were pumped and excited to be there. We had a great night tonight with the pink-out. Supporting breast cancer awareness is obviously a big thing. The more people you get into a stadium, makes it more of a home-field advantage."
The atmosphere was certainly apparent after the two home runs by the Cubs.
"That was a blast to see them out there," catcher David Ross said. "It was great to go out before the game and hearing them go crazy. It fired me up. It felt like a playoff atmosphere. It was really cool to see an outfield full of pink, when we hadn't had fans (there all season). It was a lot of fun."
Another 2,000 seats and standing room will be available for fans in mid-June, when construction wraps up in the right-field bleachers.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
