Chicago Cubs player Ian Happ rewarded some attendees at Wrigley Field as part of his ongoing tradition to support the loyal fans.
The Cubs lost their last game of the season 3-0 to the Cincinnati Reds, finishing with an 83-79 record and missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
Happ, however, has made it his goal to pay it forward to the typically rowdy Cubs fans who sit behind him in left field.
Per a fan’s Instagram post, Happ passed a signed ball into the stands with a note written on it: “Thanks for the support all season! Beers for the left field crew on me!”
The ball was wrapped with three $100 bills.
“[Ian Happ] just tossed this ball to us with some $ to buy our section some drinks for the last game of the year! What a guy! Cheers Ian!” the fan wrote.
“He does this every year, dude is a legend,” a fan confirmed online.
Indeed Happ has made this his tradition, with Block Club Chicago noting that the outfielder made the same gesture with the signed ball and money in 2023. Luckily for the fans, Happ tripled his budget for 2024 after providing $100 in 2023.
The fan who received the ball both years is a known superfan named Jeff Gorski. He describes himself as “that guy who’s always in [left field] at Wrigley.”
Gorski said last year that Happ acknowledges him and his crew during games, asks for their opinions on replays, and engages in banter during slow points in the game.
“It’s humanizing,” Gorski added. “We’re all people out here, and we want the same thing: for the Cubs to win.”
Gorksi also called Happ an “absolute class act” in a post on X.
Not everyone was impressed with the gesture of the two-time Gold Glove winner, though.
“So nice of him to buy the left field fans 6 beers,” a fan mocked.
“$300 bucks will buy what, 25 beers at wrigley?” a second person alleged.
“Secretly showing you he has money,” another wrote.
Despite the mockery, the fans were definitely there for Happ and the Cubs this year. Despite the Cubs’ average win-loss record, fans came out in droves to give the team the sixth-highest average attendance in the entire major leagues at 35,922.
Ahead of the Cubs in attendance were the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers were by far the biggest draw this year at 48,657 fans on average.
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Fearless, Cubs, Mlb, Baseball, Sports