Cubs rookie center fielder Brett Jackson made a spectacular catch on Friday night to end the sixth inning in Pittsburgh. And he paid for it. Here it is:
Jackson was forced to leave the game with knee and head injuries, though he was fortunate to escape with nothing more than cuts and bruises. And those cuts and bruises don't sound like they'll deter Jackson from putting his body at risk in the future to make great plays.
“That’s the type of player I am,” Jackson said (chicagotribune.com). “I’ve always been that way. I’ll go through a wall for the team, and that was a big moment for Travis (Wood) and for us. We’d lost six in a row, and seven runs didn’t seem like it was enough at the time. I don’t really have a second gear. I’m going to go for those balls. I’m sure people will tell me to take care of my body, but making that play was a little more important at the time.”
The Cubs did win, 12-2, but the biggest takeaway here has to be this kind of attitude on a guy playing for a 52-86 team. I love the "go through a wall" metaphor, anyway, but Jackson might not have been using it methaporically considering he nearly did run through a wall for his team.
Jackson, 24, has shown a few flashes of greatness in his rookie season. Overall, his batting average is bad (.191) and his strikeout level is far too high (48 in 94 at-bats), but since Aug. 13, Jackson's OPS is .837 due to six doubles, a triple, four homers and a good amount of walks. Combine the power, on-base ability, defensive gems like Friday night's and the attitude, and it appears the Cubs have a keeper.
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