Ben Johnson said he had been coming to Cubs games with his family for quite some time — now he can’t do so in anonymity.
“The first is this place — for the last 10-plus years, my family and I have been coming up for a Cubs series every summer, and it doesn’t take long to realize that this place is special,” Johnson said at introductory press conference. “These people are special.”
Now, he got to live out a childhood dream — throwing out the first pitch at Saturday’s Cubs’ game. Johnson threw a fastball to reliever Brad Keller, which of course, received a roaring applause
“He came in the office before the game and I met his family,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of Johnson to Jeff Vorva of the Chicago Tribune. “He has a great, beautiful young family.
Ben Johnson would be nasty on the bump 🔥 pic.twitter.com/QQucQWGVo9
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 19, 2025
“It’s all in front of him and that’s what’s kind of cool. That’s what you kind of think when you are meeting him. You are thinking, ‘You have a great, great future in front of you and you have challenges in front of you and you have a lot of fun in front of you.’”
Now with that occasion out of the way, Johnson will now set his sights on Thursday’s NFL Draft.
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“I thought it was pretty good,” Counsell said of the pitch. “I hope he told Brad that was coming, because that was some gas.”