Chicago Cubs Have Sign an Old Fan Favorite
Hanshin Tigers outfielder Matt Murton waves his cap to cheering fans after hitting a two-run single, marking his 211st hit to break Ichiro Suzuki's Japanese baseball single-season hits record of 210, in the second inning of Tuesday's game against the Yakult Swallows at Jingu Stadium in Tokyo Oct. 5, 2010. Murton, former Colorado Rockies,now playing his first season in Japan broke the record set by Suzuki, now a Seattle Mariners star, who collected 210 hits in 1994 with the Orix BlueWave. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) ** JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, FOR COMMERCIAL USE ONLY IN NORTH AMERICA **
There are some reports out of Japan that the Chicago Cubs have signed an old friend.
Reports out of Japan say Cubs have signed Matt Murton, a former Cub who in 2010 had 214 hits for Hanshin, breaking Ichiro's season record.
— Phil Rogers (@philgrogers) February 4, 2016
Yes, that Matt Murton. The red haired hitter who has 272 career MLB hits in 346 games, 308 of them with the Chicago Cubs.
While he was a fan favorite here on the Northside for his red head, hitting ability, and the fact that Cubs fans seem to attach themselves to the most unlikely players, I had always liked and respected the man for an action he did for a friend of mine.
This friend had cancer, and the outlook wasn’t very promising. Through some connections, the Cubs and Matt Murton invited my friend into the dugout just to hang out and talk a couple hours before a game. He, and the Cubs showed so much class that day it is something we wouldn’t soon forget.
While Matt might not be destined for the MLB club, this is a path back to the American game for Matt. While in Japan, he averaged .310 from 2010 until 2015, with a high average of .349 in the same season he broke Ichiro Sazuki’s single season hits mark (214), all for the Hanshin Tigers. Always being a doubles machine, Murton continued that for Hanshin, consistently hitting more than 30 doubles a season.
.294/.362/.448
That's Matt Murton in his 308 games with #Cubs (2005-08)— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) February 4, 2016
Matt definitely belonged in the Majors, and if he can replicate his output from his first go around he could find himself in a backup role in Chicago again.
