CHICAGO (AP) — Ian Happ played in his 1,000th major league game on Saturday — all with the Chicago Cubs.
It's that last part that makes it special for the outfielder.
“I think the one thing that means a lot about it is is doing it all here,” Happ said. “I think that’s the thing that means a ton.”
It's a rare accomplishment, too.
Happ became the eighth active player with 1,000 games with one team, according to the Elias Soorts Bureau, joining a group that includes Aaron Judge, Mike Trout and José Ramírez. He is the 21st player to appear in at least his first 1,000 games with Chicago, according to the team.
Happ, Mark Grace and Shawon Dunston are the only players drafted by the Cubs to play in 1,000 games with the franchise.
“The big significance for me is 1,000 games with the same team,” said Cubs manager Craig Counsell, who played in 1,624 games for five teams during his 16 years in the majors. "That's, to me, what makes it rare and definitely worth talking about. That, in this era of baseball, is not happening. It's just not happening.
“That speaks a lot about kind of how Ian's gone about it, I think.”
The Cubs paid tribute to Happ as he walked to the plate in the first inning against San Diego. Happ took off his batting helmet and patted his chest to acknowledge the cheering crowd at Wrigley Field.
The 30-year-old switch hitter drove a leadoff double off the wall in center, but he was stranded at second base. He also walked in the second.
Happ was selected by Chicago with the No. 9 pick in the 2015 amateur draft out of the University of Cincinnati. He made his big league debut in 2017, batting .253 with 24 homers and 68 RBIs for a Cubs team that won the NL Central and made it to the NL Championship Series.
But Happ's future was uncertain after he was optioned to Triple-A Iowa before the start of the 2019 season. The stay in the minors gave him time to work on his approach at the plate — away from the glare of the big leagues — and he returned to the Cubs that July.
Happ made the NL All-Star team and won the first of his three consecutive Gold Gloves in left field in 2022. He has appeared in 480 of Chicago's last 497 games.
“The work that it takes to be healthy and be out there and be available, you know, everything that goes into it, whether that’s pregame for a day like today or whether it’s in the offseason, there’s a lot of work that goes into being available that much,” Happ said before the matchup with the Padres. “That part of it is kind of what I think about.”
There also was some question about Happ's future in Chicago before he agreed to a $61 million, three-year contract in April 2023 that runs through the 2026 season and includes a full no-trade provision.
When Kyle Hendricks left and signed with the Los Angeles Angels in November, Happ became the longest tenured major leaguer with the Cubs.
“Ian’s strength is kind of in a consistent approach,” Counsell said. “Just like daily, just super consistent, and that kind of leads to just a good process for him every day.”
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