Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ broke out of a long home run drought on Tuesday night, but when he was forced to leave the game after the seventh inning, fans were holding their collective breath.
It turns out that concerns about his health were overstated.
During an interview on the Bernstein and Holmes Show on 670 the Score Wednesday morning, Happ said that his leg was feeling fine.
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“The calf’s good,” he said. “A little bit of a cramp last night coming around after getting hit in the front of the leg, but feeling good.”
Happ, who hit a home run in the first inning of the game, drove in another run when he was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning. He was able to remain in the game, eventually scoring on an RBI single by Yan Gomes, but he was removed in the top of the eighth, with Christopher Morel entering the game in left field.
Manager David Ross told media after the game that Happ’s calf “grabbed on him,” and said he would be reevaluated Wednesday.
It seems as though all systems are go, with the Cubs set to take on the Pirates again Wednesday night. Happ told the hosts on Bernstein and Holmes that he has a good relationship with the team’s coaching staff and trainers, and that he doesn’t feel like it will be difficult to communicate that he feels okay.
MLB
“I’ve been with the same training staff for a long time, and with Rossy for a long time, so there’s open lines of communication. They have a pretty good trust in me,” he said.
The home run was Happ’s first since May 5, with 118 at-bats between long balls. It set the tone for a big Cubs victory, as they cruised to an 11-3 win over the Pirates in the series opener at Wrigley Field.