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  3. article_body => "<p>ST. LOUIS \u2014 Kyle Hendricks wasn\u2019t the only part of Friday\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/chicago\/cubs\">Cubs<\/a>-Cardinals game that looked at least a step back toward a sense of normal for the teams.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Even amid an ongoing pandemic and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/chicago\/cubs\/cubs-jed-hoyer-not-happy-about-teams-vaccination-rates\">\u201cdisappointing\u201d<\/a> vaccination rates among the Cubs and other teams, the Cubs\u2019 first game in St. Louis since 2019 also featured their largest crowd of the year \u2014 24,282 \u2014 and a palpable buzz&nbsp;that\u2019s been missing from most ballparks for more than a year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>\u201cI felt emotion when I stepped out, and it was a pretty crowded St. Louis stadium,\u201d said Cubs manager David Ross after the Cubs turned a tie game through six innings into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/chicago\/cubs\/cubs-observations-kyle-hendricks-twirls-gem-beat-cardinals\">a 12-3 rout late.<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>\u201cIt definitely felt more like the norm of a baseball season with a pretty big crowd, a weekend series; they\u2019re in first place; we\u2019re in second,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s early still, but I had a little bit of emotion where it felt like a normal big, rivalry series in St. Louis.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>It didn\u2019t hurt the emotions from the Cubs side to win the first meeting of the year to improve to 12-6 in May and close to two games behind the first-place Cards.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s the loudest we\u2019ve heard in a stadium in a while,\u201d said Hendricks, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/chicago\/cubs\/cubs-kyle-hendricks-pitching-ace-they-need\">the resurgent ace<\/a> of the sixth-inning showdown against Yadi Molina with one out and the go-ahead run in scoring position. \u201cIt was really cool to feed off that energy.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Hendricks got Molina on a popup to fire up the Cubs\u2019 side of a bipartisan crowd.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s felt more and more normal just having fans in general,\u201d Hendricks said. \u201cThis is definitely the most normal it\u2019s felt so far. It was awesome, just seeing everybody getting loud.&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>\u201cYou could feel the energy pulsing through the ballpark, and that\u2019s what we love to play in.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>First-year Cubs left fielder Joc Pederson, who led off the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/chicago\/cubs\/cubs-joc-pederson-hits-leadoff-home-run-vs-cardinals\">game with a homer<\/a>, seemed impressed with the road turnout of Cubs fans at a ballpark that filled its half-capacity limit.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>\u201cIt really felt like it was sold out,\u201d he said. \u201cThat was a good atmosphere. Super cool.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>When the Cubs return home next week, allowed capacity at Wrigley Field will increase from 25 percent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/chicago\/cubs\/cubs-increasing-wrigley-field-fan-capacity-60-percent-may-28\">to 60 percent<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/link.chtbl.com\/CubsTalk\"><em><strong>Click here to subscribe to the Cubs Talk Podcast for free.<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p><iframe height=\"230px\" src=\"https:\/\/art19.com\/shows\/194b557a-5b1a-41fa-9e3c-3a7b33a4c831\/embed?playlist_type=latest\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\r\n\r\n<drupal-entity data-embed-button=\"app_promo_embed\" data-entity-embed-display=\"view_mode:block_content.full\" data-entity-type=\"block_content\" data-entity-uuid=\"84a634bd-85a1-4e39-9e2a-7d404e5646e3\" data-langcode=\"en\"><\/drupal-entity>\r\n"
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Cubs Insider

/ by Gordon Wittenmyer
Cubs Insider

Gordon Wittenmyer

Cubs Insider

ST. LOUIS — Kyle Hendricks wasn’t the only part of Friday’s Cubs-Cardinals game that looked at least a step back toward a sense of normal for the teams.

Even amid an ongoing pandemic and “disappointing” vaccination rates among the Cubs and other teams, the Cubs’ first game in St. Louis since 2019 also featured their largest crowd of the year — 24,282 — and a palpable buzz that’s been missing from most ballparks for more than a year.

“I felt emotion when I stepped out, and it was a pretty crowded St. Louis stadium,” said Cubs manager David Ross after the Cubs turned a tie game through six innings into a 12-3 rout late.

“It definitely felt more like the norm of a baseball season with a pretty big crowd, a weekend series; they’re in first place; we’re in second,” he added. “It’s early still, but I had a little bit of emotion where it felt like a normal big, rivalry series in St. Louis.”

It didn’t hurt the emotions from the Cubs side to win the first meeting of the year to improve to 12-6 in May and close to two games behind the first-place Cards.

“It’s the loudest we’ve heard in a stadium in a while,” said Hendricks, the resurgent ace of the sixth-inning showdown against Yadi Molina with one out and the go-ahead run in scoring position. “It was really cool to feed off that energy.”

 

Hendricks got Molina on a popup to fire up the Cubs’ side of a bipartisan crowd.

“It’s felt more and more normal just having fans in general,” Hendricks said. “This is definitely the most normal it’s felt so far. It was awesome, just seeing everybody getting loud. 

“You could feel the energy pulsing through the ballpark, and that’s what we love to play in.”

First-year Cubs left fielder Joc Pederson, who led off the game with a homer, seemed impressed with the road turnout of Cubs fans at a ballpark that filled its half-capacity limit.

“It really felt like it was sold out,” he said. “That was a good atmosphere. Super cool.”

When the Cubs return home next week, allowed capacity at Wrigley Field will increase from 25 percent to 60 percent.

Click here to subscribe to the Cubs Talk Podcast for free.

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