Cubs honor Schwarber, fans give ovation in return to Wrigley originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Kyle Schwarber returned to Wrigley Field with the Nationals on Monday, so you knew the Cubs would have big things in store to honor the 2016 World Series champ.
The festivities started when David Ross, Schwarber's former Cubs teammate and manager, gifted the outfielder a '12' placard from the historic center field scoreboard.
A tribute video played on the left field video board, and Cubs fans took it from there, offering Schwarber their appreciation several times with rousing cheers before first pitch.
Chicago Baseball
The loudest cheers came when he batted in the first inning. As Schwarber stepped to the plate, the Cubs played his walk-up song, "Thuggish Ruggish Bone" by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
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Cubs fans didn't get to watch Schwarber in his last season with the team due to COVID-19. Monday's tributes were well-deserved, and he offered his appreciation pregame to Cubs fans.
"I've been a part of a lot of cool things here," Schwarber said. "It's definitely going to be special to me.
"To get a tribute is great and I appreciate that. I just want to be able to give a hat-tip to the fans here."