Craig Kimbrel’s return to Wrigley Field didn’t go the way anyone would have expected thanks to Cubs shortstop Andrew Romine’s unlikely heroics.
Andrew Romine hadn’t hit a home run since 2017.
Craig Kimbrel hadn’t given up a home run since May 4.
What happened on Friday during Kimbrel’s return to Wrigley Field for the first time after his trade to the White Sox should not have happened.
His first HR in four years 😳
— MLB (@MLB) August 6, 2021
Andrew Romine's 3-run 💣 ties the game in the bottom of the 8th! pic.twitter.com/mLfZ2Gjgu2
Andrew Romine hit the second home run Craig Kimbrel has given up all year
Romine connected for a 365-foot home run in the eighth inning to tie the game for the Cubs against their former closer.
You couldn’t have picked a more unlikely hero to get one over on Kimbrel like that. His three-run bomb was just the second home run Kimbrel has conceded this season.
Romine was also the runner who scored in the seventh inning on David Bote’s sacrifice fly.
The Cubs traded Kimbrel to their city rivals for second baseman Nick Madrigal and pitcher Codi Heuer.
Kimbrel made two appearances for the White Sox before Friday’s outing, keeping up his previous form with a scoreless inning in each. Going into the game against the Cubs, he had an ERA of 0.47 on the season.