As debuts go, it was somewhere between perfection and nirvana.
On the first pitch thrown to him in a Cubs uniform, shortstop Alex Gonzalez rocketed a Livan Hernandez fastball into his team’s bullpen.
Not only was it a two-run homer, it was an opposite-field two-run homer. And that might be most significant of all for Gonzalez, whose glove always has been more advanced than his bat.
“If we can get him to use the entire field, his strikeouts will go down and his batting average will go up,” manager Don Baylor said. “It’s simple.”
The conclusion of Thursday afternoon’s spring-training opener was less than perfect for the 6,534 Cubs fans who turned out to watch at HoHoKam Park.
The Cubs blew a ninth-inning lead to San Francisco when Angel Pena, the Giants’ backup catcher, mashed a two-run homer over the 40-foot-high wall in center field. Some observers believe it was the longest home run in ballpark history.
Left-hander Ron Mahay, who gave up the blast, probably would rather not know.
“We saw some good things,” Baylor said after his team’s 5-4 loss. “But you don’t want to get in the habit of giving up home runs late in the ballgame.”
While the left side of the Cubs’ bullpen could prove to be a concern, Thursday’s game should provide confidence that the team did well by trading for Gonzalez in December.
The team’s Plan A was to have Ricky Gutierrez return to play shortstop. But when Gutierrez declined the Cubs’ two-year offer, they obtained the 28-year-old Gonzalez from Toronto in exchange for lefty Felix Heredia and minor-league infielder James Deschaine.
Gonzalez was blindsided by the move, saying, “There was no warning or anything, no word from the team.”
But being traded to the Cubs made the news easier to take.
“This was always a club that I had considered going to,” he said.
“With the team they had last year, I knew it would be a positive situation.”
Gonzalez has put up consistent numbers the last two years, averaging .253 with 16 homers and 73 RBIs. But his strikeout total soared to 149 last year, while his walks were stagnant at 43.
Gonzalez is determined to cut his strikeouts, but he won’t set a goal for home runs. While in Toronto, Gonzalez knew he couldn’t compete with American League superstar shortstops Alex Rodriguez and Nomar Garciaparra.
“I’m glad I’m out of that league,” he said. “I can’t go out and try to hit 40 homers. I have to be realistic with myself.”
Scouts say Gonzalez has a realistic chance to be the best defensive shortstop in the National League. He added to those hopes Thursday when he speared a Benito Santiago line drive for an inning-ending double play.
“I didn’t have time to play around with that one,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez has heard all about the slow grass at Wrigley Field. He believes it will present a nice change after playing on the Skydome’s AstroTurf.
“There will be a lot less aches and pains,” he said.
