Bryant batting leadoff fires up Cubs

CHICAGO -- With each pitch to Kris Bryant in the first inning, the cheers from the Cubs' dugout grew louder. As the slugger worked through the opening battle of Opening Day against Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff, Chicago's players slapped the railing and shouted.

"That's scary, with him setting the tone like that," Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo said.

It was the first official look at Bryant the leadoff man -- a role new manager David Ross assigned him in February. In that first at-bat, Bryant saw 10 pitches. That included five foul balls that generated roars from his teammates. Woodruff fired nine fastballs in the sequence, including seven that registered at at least 98 mph, per Statcast.

Bryant ultimately flied out to center field, but the exhausting moment was followed by Rizzo earning a four-pitch walk in the next plate appearance. Overall, Bryant went 0-for-4, but he worked the count full three times and ended the night with 28 pitches seen. That gave him an MLB-leading seven pitches per plate appearance one game into the season.

"Everybody was on it from K.B.'s first at-bat," said Ross, referring to the team's energy throughout the 3-0 win over Milwaukee. "That's why he's up there. He does that day in and day out. He's going to be that guy for us, and I couldn't be happier with those at-bats and the energy. Guys were locked in."

Rizzo, who will hit second behind Bryant this season, loved seeing that out of the third baseman. Not only did Rizzo walk, but he also reached base via a hit-by-pitch (third inning) and launched a solo homer (eighth) following Bryant at-bats.

"I mean, Kris Bryant: MVP, Rookie of the Year, World Series champion," Rizzo said. "I cannot say enough about him. When he puts an at-bat on you like that, it's a stressful at-bat for any pitcher. That sets a lot of guys up for success behind him. And the more we can grind as a unit like that, there will be some tough outings for pitchers."

Ross savoring first win
When Ross met with media via Zoom on Saturday morning, the manager still had roughly 150 text messages on his phone. It was due to him notching his first official victory as the new manager of the Cubs.

"I haven't gotten that many text messages since Game 7 of the World Series," Ross said with a laugh. "There's no doubt about that."

After the win on Friday night, Ross said he had a great moment with starter Kyle Hendricks in a hallway behind the dugout. The manager said veteran starter Jon Lester left a gift on his desk in his office. Nico Hoerner presented Ross with a game ball from Friday and bench coach Andy Green presented the manager with the lineup card.

"And then getting home and my mom and dad and all my kids being there, that's rewarding," Ross said. "They were like super depressed when we lost those first two exhibition games. I walked in and I was actually fine and all of them were like, 'We're so sorry, dad.' I was like, 'Those don't count. We're fine. We're all good.'

"That's nice. My kids made me a nice little sign. That was neat. It was taped to the door when I walked in. I mean, all of it's nice and I understand it's one win. We've got a long way to go."

Worth noting
• Two games into the young and abbreviated season, Ross has kept both of his catchers, Willson Contreras and Victor Caratini, in the lineup. Caratini served as the designated hitter on Friday and Contreras filled that roll on Saturday in the Cubs' 8-3 loss to the Brewers. Contreras said he is prepared to play as many games as possible this year.

"We talked about it a few weeks ago," Contreras said of Ross. "He told me just be ready to play every single day. I told him that I'll be ready to play, either catching or DH. So that's the whole plan. That's what I know. That's what he told me."

• On Friday night, Hendricks (nine innings, three hits, no runs, no walks and nine strikeouts) became the first MLB pitcher to have a shutout with at least nine strikeouts, no walks and three or fewer hits allowed on Opening Day since Ledell Titcomb achieved the feat on April 20, 1888 (STATS Inc.).

"First thing I got this morning walking in," Ross said, "was [Tyler] Chatwood and Lester telling me, why did I let Kyle finish, because there's nowhere but down for these guys. ... Pretty funny this morning with them making those comments."

Quotable
"The only thing I heard was the typical Ryan Braun boos. That was about the only thing that I think you could hear from our dugout. I think their own team booed him when he got announced yesterday. So, they wanted to make him feel right at home. He's a pretty good sport about all that." -- Ross, asked if he could hear Cubs fans on the rooftops