Having a Ball

This is a fun addendum to a story during yesterdays Cubs-Cardinals playoff game.

In the seventh inning of the game, Cubs rookie Kyle Schwarber hit a mammoth home run that blew away the crowd and announcers who called it going over the huge Budweiser scoreboard in right field.  It was SO high and deep, however, that people had a hard time even following the ball and seeing it leave the park.

It was the conversation of discussion long after being hit, where in the world it went.  In this morning's Chicago Sun-Times, for instance, columnist Rick Telander wrote --
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...But then so was 22-year old Kyle Schwarber’s mighty home run blast in the seventh inning. That ball sailed up and out of our sight and apparently went over the massive Budweiser video board in right field.

The muscular, squat left-handed-hitting Schwarber — can we call him mini-Ruth? — destroyed the pitch to the extent that if somebody said the ball simply exploded and vanished — well, you’d have to listen to that person.

“It went over the board,’’ said manager Joe Maddon afterward, looking toward the direction of Sheffield Ave. “I thought it did.’’

“We were all looking straight at it,’’ said Joe’s dad, Greg, who was seated in the lower grandstand with family, “and I don’t where it went.’’
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Well...it turns out that we now know where it went.  And for an odd, fun reason.

On Cubs website, they have a story about an architect named Tom Comings who was at the ballpark and taking pitchers of different angles of Wrigley Field throughout the game, including several of the new Budweiser scoreboard.  And it turns out that Schwarber’s HR did land on the scoreboard.  And they have the pictures.

​Look under the "i" --

The story reports that Mr. Comings emailed his photo to the Cubs, who sent a staffer to the top of the scoreboard and verified that it was indeed the ball.  (I believe that during the playoffs, balls get marked by Major League Baseball.)  They then humorously but thoughtfully sent him a "finder's fee," which was basically a bunch of Cubs merchandise, including a bobblehead of Cubs pitcher Jon Lester.