Like many of his new teammates, Jon Jay was at Wrigley Field for Game 3 of the 2016 World Series.
He just wasn’t in uniform.
“It was weird to be in the stands,” said Jay, who played baseball at the University of Miami and was in the area for the Miami-Notre Dame football game that Saturday. “I had plans to watch that football game, so I ended up going to the game on Friday night. I hadn’t done that in years since I was a kid. It was good to see that perspective.”
Jay, who signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Cubs in November, said being able to experience Wrigley as a fan helped him see the game in a new light.
“It was surreal for me just walking up to the park and seeing how many people were walking in and thinking, ‘Man, this is what people do every single day,’ ” the 31-year-old said. “To see that was real cool. The atmosphere was great, how happy the fans were and all that, it was real cool.”
Jay ostensibly replaces Dexter Fowler, a popular figure in the Cubs clubhouse who signed a five-year, $82.5 million deal with rival St. Louis this offseason.
“Dex was definitely a player that I would pick his brain,” Cubs shortstop Addison Russell said. “Just a mentor overall. It’s sad to see him go. He’s gonna find success wherever he goes. Dexter Fowler is Dexter Fowler.”
And Jon Jay is Jon Jay.
“I’m just here to play baseball,” he said. “I’m going to go out there and do what I’ve always done. Obviously we have a lot of depth and a lot of talent. It’s just up to us to show up every day ready to work.”
What the Cubs are getting in Jay is a veteran outfielder with big-game experience who has no problem getting on base. He’s a career .287 hitter who played in two World Series and won one in 2011 with the Cardinals.
When asked at the recent Cubs Convention which team has better fans, the Cubs or the Cardinals, Jay refused to take the bait.
“The Cubs fans are great,” he said. “Cardinals fans are great to me and obviously I’m a Cub now and I love my Cubs fans. We’re trying to beat the Cardinals, so it’s all good.”
Russell said that because of the personalities in the Cubs clubhouse, he doesn’t think players such as Jay and newly acquired closer Wade Davis are going to have a difficult transition to life as a Cub.
“We’re comfortable with each other,” Russell said. “It’s an open clubhouse. We welcome guys that are new in the clubhouse. We’re excited about Jon Jay, about Davis.”
“I’m joining their group now,” Jay said. “This is their thing and I’m a part of that, so I’ve got to earn their trust and respect.”
One thing Jay is looking forward to is being reunited in the outfield with Jason Heyward, whom he played with while with the Cardinals in 2015.
“He’s unbelievable out there,” Jay said. “I look forward to playing out there with him again, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
For Heyward, the feeling is mutual.
“He brings a lot of baseball knowledge,” Heyward said. “Great clubhouse guy, great leader by example, somebody with experience, somebody who has a ring—it’s good to have somebody else here to be a calming voice.”
Spending time in the same outfield as the likes of Heyward isn’t the only part of life as a Cub that Jay is looking forward to, either.
Like many people in their early 30s, Jay is partial to summers in Chicago and all the fun that comes with them.
“I’ve been coming here for years, obviously, playing with the Cardinals,” he said. “It’s always been one of my favorite cities. Obviously the restaurants and the lake, there’s so many appealing things, like the zoo and the aquarium. I’ve done it all here. I even caught a Beyoncé concert at Soldier Field a couple years ago. It’s a great city, especially in the summertime when Wrigley is packed, so I’m looking forward to all that.”
Matt Lindner is a RedEye contributor. @mattlindner
