David Ross held a meeting in June to inspire his players after the Chicago Cubs fell 10 games under .500 and 7 1/2 games back in the NL Central, according to the Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
The Cubs had just been swept by the Los Angeles Angels and were in San Francisco preparing for a new series against the Giants.
Before gathering the team, Ross spoke separately with Cubs catcher Yan Gomes and shortstop Dansby Swanson, who had both been on World Series-winning teams that got off to bad starts in the regular season.
During the team powwow, Gomes and Swanson addressed their teammates, sharing their experiences and providing insight into what it would take to turn things around.
"We took a lot of pride this year in bringing the team together, having team gatherings, spending time together in spring training," Gomes said. "A lot of that was, 'Let's not let that go to waste. We're putting a lot of effort into this. Let's put it on the field as well.'"
According to Rosenthal, Ross's overarching message to the team was that there was plenty of time for the Cubs to get back into the race.
Whatever was said in that meeting certainly inspired confidence, as the Cubs immediately went on an 11-2 run and are now currently three games over .500 and 1/2 a game back in the wild card race. They're just 2 1/2 games back of the first place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central Division.
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Up next for the Cubs is a three-game set in Toronto against the Blue Jays, who are fighting to keep hold of an AL wild card spot.
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