Walk-off 'W': Welcome to 'The Schwindy City'

CHICAGO -- “Frank the Tank." "The Schwindy City."

Frank Schwindel has heard quite a few nicknames from Cubs fans in his month-plus stint in Chicago. He wasn't expecting to get such a quick reception from the Wrigley Field faithful, knowing that he was called up in place of some pretty big names that left town.

“It was a tough spot coming in here, with those guys being so loved,” Schwindel said regarding the Trade Deadline deals that sent players such as Anthony Rizzo, Javier Báez and Kris Bryant elsewhere. “It had to be tough for fans losing their favorite players, and really, a bunch of guys they haven't really heard of [came in] to help fill out [the roster].”

Sure, maybe only diehard fans knew who Schwindel was prior to him being recalled by the Cubs on July 30. But after capping off the Cubs’ 7-6, come-from-behind win over the Pirates on Saturday, a win that pushed Chicago's winning streak to five games, those who still don’t know Schwindel have to be largely in the minority.

With the score tied at 6, two outs and runners at second and third in the bottom of the ninth, Schwindel hit a sharp grounder to the hole in between third and short. Pittsburgh shortstop Kevin Newman had to make a Derek Jeter-esque jump-throw to first to try and retire Schwindel, but his throw pulled first baseman Colin Moran off the bag. As Moran went to apply the tag, Schwindel took a headfirst slide into the bag.

Schwindel shot up and threw his arms out to signal “safe” a split-second after first-base umpire Tom Hallion did the same, sending the crowd into a frenzy. A Pirates challenge killed the vibe for a moment, but as soon as the call on the field was upheld and Andrew Romine’s game-winning run counted, Schwindel basked in the sound of the thousands of amped-up fans in the stands sing along to “Go Cubs Go.”

“That was awesome. That was the loudest I've heard it here,” said Schwindel, who also homered in the fifth inning, a 450-foot blast that was his fifth homer in his last six games. “... Today was unbelievable. It's been funny, 'Frank the Tank' has been there, 'The Schwindy City' has been cool. [The celebration] was as cool of an experience as I've ever had.”

“He's fun to watch, isn't he?” Cubs acting manager Andy Green said. “What a blast. You don't see a lot of first basemen going headfirst into first base, avoiding the tag. That was crazy close. He was fired up and confident he did not get tagged and didn't feel anything. It's fun to watch the guys walk one off like that.”

As a player hoping to lock down a spot with the Cubs in 2022, Schwindel’s first-career walk-off is surely one of the moments the front office will look at when evaluating next year’s roster -- but he had help setting the table for his big moment thanks to some other players trying to make strong impressions themselves.

With two outs and Matt Duffy on second, Sergio Alcántara took a walk to extend the inning. Alfonso Rivas -- pinch-hitting in the ninth spot only six days after making his Major League debut -- singled in Duffy to cut the lead to one, before Rafael Ortega knocked in the tying run on a liner to right field that ticked off outfielder Ben Gamel's glove, setting up Schwindel in the spotlight.

“It's been just really fun to see a couple of these guys really take off. Between Rafi, Frank, [Patrick Wisdom], some of these guys are just having an unbelievable couple of months now,” said right-hander Kyle Hendricks, who allowed six earned runs but took a no-decision. “It's just really, really fun to see, fun to watch. You have confidence every time they come up to the plate.”

Schwindel has quickly become one of the players Cubs fans most want to see stick around into next season. He said that 2022 is the last thing on his mind when he comes to the ballpark, but he still notices the uptick in noise when he steps to the plate.

Whether he’s actually thinking about next year or not, moments like the one he had Saturday are going a long way toward helping him find his way onto the club next spring.

“He's been great. There's really no other way to slice it,” Green said. “He's done everything you could possibly want a baseball player to do. Now, we just want to see it on repeat for a long time. He's the type of guy [who] shows up with a smile on his face, intent on winning a baseball game, has confidence in his teammates and plays hard out there every single day.

“He's happy to get an opportunity, but he's running with the opportunity, and when you run with the opportunity, you get more opportunities. I know [Cubs manager David Ross is] really fond of the way he's played baseball. It'd be hard not to be right now.”