Everything you need to see from Kris Bryant's MLB debut

We've all been warned that looking directly into the natural phenomenon of a solar eclipse could cause a condition called solar retinopathy, which is when the bright light of the sun floods the retinas in the back of the eye and inflicts permanent vision damage.

And a fear of that type of situation is the only legitimate excuse that baseball fans might have had for missing the MLB debut of Cubs prospect Kris Bryant on Friday. Bryant started at third base and batted cleanup for the Cubbies during their Wrigley Field matinee against the Padres.

Kris-mas Morning

Cubbies faithful and baseball diehards awoke on Friday morning and rushed downstairs to open their Kris-mas presents next to the fire. Not really, but they were all tweeting about how excited they were:

Merry #Krismas everyone. pic.twitter.com/vltBj2YogT

- The Heckler (@The_Heckler) April 17, 2015

Happy National Kris Bryant Day Everybody! #WorldSeriesBound

- Seth Stillwell (@SethStillwell) April 17, 2015

Merry Krismas to All! And to all a good night! #LetsGo

- ZEH (@zacharmeyer) April 17, 2015

Mid-Morning Press Conference

The excitement was so palpable that Cubs GM Theo Epstein held a press conference to address the media ahead of Bryant's highly anticipated debut. Cubs skipper Joe Maddon did the same.

Batting Practice

The Cubs and Padres were set for a 1:20 p.m. CT first pitch, so the home team took BP around high noon on the East Coast. Waveland Avenue -- the street that runs behind left field at the Friendly Confines -- was lined with fans trying to snag a special souvenir on a special day.

The media surrounded the BP cage and construction reportedly halted briefly as Bryant stepped in the box to take some practice cuts.

Bryant is in middle there. #Cubs pic.twitter.com/GhS066l2sS

- Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) April 17, 2015

Kris bryant just took BP and all the construction workers stopped working on the bleachers to watch him #LetsGo #cubs #MerryKrismas

- Gabriel Cardenas (@GabeC33) April 17, 2015

In his second round of BP, Kris Bryant drove ball into CF basket with one of the easiest swings you can imagine.

- Phil Rogers (@philgrogers) April 17, 2015

Top of the First

Padres outfielder Wil Myers led off the game with a bloop single, setting the scene for Bryant's first defensive opportunity, which came in the next at-bat. Derek Norris grounded to Bryant who started the 5-4-3 double play:

The broadcasters joked that it was the greatest 5-4-3 double play in the history of Wrigley Field.

First at-bat

Bryant's first MLB at-bat came in the bottom of the first after Anthony Rizzo drew a two-out walk. Bryant promptly swung and missed at the first three pitches he saw. Womp womp.

It should be noted that Bryant's walk-up song was "We Own It" by 2 Chainz ft. Wiz Khalifa off the Fast & Furious 6 soundtrack. This is a man who gets it.

Second at-bat

In his second at-bat, Bryant showed a bit more discipline. He worked his way into a full count and fouled a pitch off before he stuck out on another James Shields changeup.

Top of the Fifth

The first half of the fifth frame ended when Bryant flashed some leather, diving to his right to rob Derek Norris of extra bases.

Third at-bat

Sadly, the third time was not the charm for Bryant as he struck out swinging again.

Top of the Seventh

Will Middlebrooks bounced a ground ball in Bryant's direction. The rookie sat back, played the hop and put the arm on display, nabbing Middlebrooks by a step over at first.

Fourth at-bat

In the bottom of the seventh with a runner on second, the Padres intentionally walked Anthony Rizzo with two outs. Bryant came up next and made contact this time, grounding into a force out at third base.