Former Cubs Star Bryant Gets Hero's Welcome In Wrigley Return

CHICAGO — Considering the amount of time Kris Bryant has spent on Chicago’s North Side during his Major League career, the fact he considers it home should come as no surprise.

But when the former Cubs star made his return to Wrigley Field on Friday and found himself struggling to establish a game day routine as a member of the San Francisco Giants, the Friendly Confines suddenly seemed like a completely new place. Bryant, who was traded along with fellow Cubs mainstays Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez ahead of the trade deadline earlier this summer, told reporters on Friday that he found himself a bit lost when the Giants arrived in Chicago for their weekend series.

Bryant joked with reporters that he faked his way through his arrival to the ballpark the best he could as cameras captured his every step and as he was greeted by a collection of Cubs fans, who welcomed the former National League MVP back to Chicago for the first time since he was traded.

The welcome Bryant received wasn't lost on him as he was cheered enthusiastically by a fan base that he never got a chance to bid farewell to as he was traded while the Cubs were playing the Nationals in Washington, DC.

“It’s still so new,” Bryant told reporters Friday while seated in the Giants’ dugout before Friday’s 6-1 Giants' victory, when he was honored with a tribute video and given a ’17’ from the Wrigley Field scoreboard and a flag commemorating the 2016 World Series championship season. “It feels like I was just here, but just sitting in another dugout, in a different uniform and actually facing the guys that I’ve played with for so long.”

Bryant became emotional as he watched the Cubs-produced video from in front of the Giants’ dugout Friday and was captured on video wiping his eyes as the tribute wrapped up. Bryant received a standing ovation for his first at-bat when the Cubs used his former walk-up music to welcome him back as Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks stepped off the back of the mound to allow Bryant to enjoy the moment.

Now, as he adjusts to being in a new location for the first time in his career, Bryant told reporters that at some point, he will take time to digest everything to him during his time with the Cubs. For the meantime, Bryant said that he looks back at his more than six years with great joy, having enjoyed success the majority of his time with the Cubs, including being part of the team that snapped the 108-year championship drought.

“There were definitely some harder times, but if you were to tell me when I got drafted that I was going to spend 6 ½ years here and win a World Series and an MVP and Rookie of the Year and four All-Star Games and tons of great memories, I’d tell you you’re crazy, is that really going to happen to me?," Bryant said.

“Now I’m sitting here today, and it really did happen for an organization like the Chicago Cubs, playing at Wrigley Field every single day, like, that’s amazing.”

Immediately after he was traded, Bryant said he would consider returning to Chicago in the future. The 29-year-old former Rookie of the Year will become a free agent after this season and says he has not ruled out returning to the city’s North Side, saying he would be stupid to ever close that door.

But Bryant was also quick to tell reporters Friday that he feels like he feels like a good fit with the Giants. The Giants are battling the Dodgers for the National West Division championship and given Bryant’s Las Vegas roots and his time in college at the University of San Diego, returning to the Giants next season could also be an option.

Bryant, who struck out twice in Friday’s Wrigley return, said that dealing with the constant trade rumors that surrounded him earlier this season only made him better as a player. While Bryant was the last piece to be dealt before the trade deadline, he had remained at the center of trade talks after he and the Cubs failed to reach a contract extension that would have kept him in Chicago.

But on Friday, he said he has no ill will toward the Cubs or the team’s front office. Neither team president Jed Hoyer or Cubs manager David Ross were at Wrigley on Friday after they both tested positive for the coronavirus last week despite being fully vaccinated.

While Bryant will remain a weekend visitor in the ballpark he spent so much time in to start his career, he acknowledged the experience will still carries a fair share of familiarity. And that, Bryant acknowledged, won't change anytime soon.

“This place is home — It always will be,” Bryant said, adding, “I’m never closing the book on this place ever.”