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The 10 most wholesome moments of the 2022 Cubs season

2 years ago • Tony Andracki

From career milestones to debuts to monster games, there were no shortage of highlights on the field for the Cubs in 2022.

But we wanted to shine a light on some of the moments that were bigger than baseball.

The moments that made baseball fans feel warm and fuzzy inside.

What follows is a list of the most wholesome moments of the 2022 Cubs season.

Check out the video above for the complete highlights montage.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

First up, here are a few moments worth mentioning that didn’t make the cut for the Top 10:

Wade Miley’s slick catch

Miley joined the Marquee Sports Network broadcast during the May 17 game and the entire time he was live on the air, his Cubs teammates — led by Yan Gomes — were trying to distract him. That included throwing a granola bar at Miley, who pulled off an extremely smooth no-look catch.

Smiley emoji on Christopher Morel’s glove

There will be plenty more Morel content later on in this list. His positivity was palpable on the field and off and even extended to his glove, as it was captured on the broadcast during the Cubs’ May 30 game.

Sister Jean’s first pitch

Everybody loves the 103-year-old Loyola University’s basketball chaplain, who threw out the first pitch at Wrigley on Sept. 27.

Morel gifts necklace to his biggest fan

Before the Cubs beat the Marlins in Miami on Sept. 20, Morel encountered his “biggest fan” and gifted his necklace to her.

Here are the Top 10 most wholesome moments of the 2022 Cubs season:

10. Seiya Suzuki’s dugout celebration (April 27)

What’s not to like about this dugout reaction from Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ and Toy Matsushita, Suzuki’s translator?

Patrick Wisdom had just hit a 2-run homer in the Top of the 10th inning to help lead the Cubs over the Braves in Atlanta on April 27.

9. Hayden Wesneski’s reaction to being called up (Sept. 6)

The young right-hander was so awestruck by his promotion to the big leagues that he actually didn’t believe it at first.

The Cubs acquired Wesneski from the Yankees at the trade deadline and a month later when they called him up to the majors, he actually wasn’t sure he had heard correctly.

“I told my dad, ‘I think I got pulled up. I wasn’t sure. I haven’t gotten any text messages,’” Wesneski said. “He goes, ‘well I can’t tell anybody that until you figure it out for real.’”

8. Ethan Roberts finds out he made the Opening Day roster (April 4)

The moment Ethan Roberts found out he made the Opening Day roster was special and a reminder of the human side of this game.

Roberts had just come out of one of the Cubs’ final Cactus League games on April 4 and was approached by David Ross in the dugout.

It was an emotional interaction and the rookie delivered one of the most wholesome interviews in recent memories after the fact:

7. Seiya Suzuki is a fan, too (March 18)

On the day he was introduced to Cubs nation, Suzuki was asked why he chose jersey No. 27. His answer was simple:

“Mike Trout, I love you,” Suzuki said in English.

6. Fabian becomes a household name (June 29)

He’s a public figure recognizable only by one name, like Madonna or Bono.

Fabian became a household name on June 29, when he was spotlighted on the Marquee broadcast and Cubs faithful ate the storyline up. He wound up with his own “extremely unofficial” stats and became a celebrity on the field right alongside the players in uniform.

5B. Patrick Wisdom

Sorry, we misunderstood and thought this was the most HANDSOME moments list. Our bad.

5. Pat Hughes’ Hall of Fame reaction (Aug. 24)

The voice of the Cubs for more than a quarter-decade, Pat Hughes is one of the most universally beloved figures in franchise history. The organization rewarded him for his contributions with a spot in the Cubs Hall of Fame and president of business operations Crane Kenney broke the news with Hughes live on air.

4. A dream come true for the Contreras brothers (April 28/June 18)

It was an emotional year for Willson Contreras as he faced an uncertain future during his final season under contract and said goodbye to Cubs fans on a pair of occasions. He also got the unique experience of playing against his brother, William, on two separate occasions.

First, in Atlanta in April when William was first promoted to the majors and the two exchanged lineup cards before the Cubs and Braves game:

Then in June, the Contreras brothers embraced at Wrigley Field as they got to play against each other in the big leagues for the first time:

“We finally have a dream as a family come true,” Contreras said.

3. Contreras mentors Morel in crucial spot (June 1)

Talk about a made-for-TV moment.

As Morel was at the plate in a huge moment in the bottom of the 10th inning on June 1, he quickly fell behind in the count 0-2. He paused, stepped out of the box and looked back at Contreras, who was in the on-deck circle.

The veteran reminded the rookie to take a deep breath to calm down. Two pitches later, Morel lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to drive home Jason Heyward and walk off the Brewers.

This pairing was a gift that kept on giving all year and it started from Day 1. As Morel homered in his first MLB at-bat, an elated Contreras leaped over the railing of the Cubs dugout and hopped around like a little kid:

2. Fergie Jenkins gets a statue outside Wrigley (May 20)

On May 20, Fergie Jenkins was honored with a statue outside Wrigley Field. One of the greatest pitchers in franchise history will be immortalized alongside some of his beloved fellow teammates — Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo all have statues on Gallagher Way.

1. Marcus Stroman makes a young fan cry…in the best way (Aug. 29)

Cubs players interacting with fans was gold in 2022 and Stroman’s rapport with a youngster in Canada certainly tugged at the heartstrings.

As the Cubs made the trek north of the border in late August, it was a big homecoming for Stroman, who began his career with the Toronto Blue Jays.

A young fan traveled from the United Kingdom to Toronto to see Stroman, his favorite player. His mom Tweeted out his poster earlier in the day and Stroman saw, prompting an emotional interaction on the field.

It was a perfect reminder of the power this game — and these athletes — can have on the fans.

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