CHICAGO — Chicago Cubs left fielder Kyle Schwarber was pulled from Sunday’s game after he played a double into a triple off the bat of Minnesota Twins center fielder Jake Cave.
“I think the guy shouldn’t have gotten to third base there,” a repentant Schwarber said after the Twins’ 4-0 win. “It put Yu [Darvish] in a tough spot. … I put him in a bad spot there. I put the team in a bad spot there. Have to learn from it and move on.”
Cave led off the top of the second inning and hit a ball off the left-field wall, which Schwarber said he “over-pursued.” Cave kept running as the Cubs veteran slowly tracked down the ball, which bounced back in front of him. His throw to third was late. Cave later scored on a Max Kepler groundout.
Schwarber didn’t come out to play the field the next inning. Cameron Maybin took his place in the lineup.
“It’s not the ideal way to learn from it, but I think I can take a lot of different punches,” Schwarber said. “I pride myself in being a team guy and a guy who’s going to play 120 percent every play.”
Cubs’ manager David Ross wouldn’t elaborate on the matter, preferring to keep it “in-house,” but teammate Ian Happ spoke highly of Schwarber after he was pulled, praising him for staying in the dugout to cheer on his teammates for the rest of the game.
“He’s a wonderful teammate,” Happ said. “Someone that nobody ever questions his work or the attitude he comes into the game with. I can speak for everyone in the clubhouse when I say that.”
Like many Cubs, Schwarber has struggled at the plate this season. He’s hitting .192 with a .308 on-base percentage, but he never thought to hang his head after being taken out of the game.
“I’m not going to be that guy that’s going to be selfish and just sit there and feel bad for himself,” he said. “There’s still a game going on. It’s bigger than me.”