Fastball

Chicago Cubs Infielder Goes Viral For Wholesome Interaction with Young Japanese Fans

Justin Turner, who signed a one-year deal with the Cubs earlier this offseason, met two young fans before the team's exhibition game with the Yomiuri Giants.

Brady Farkas

Chicago Cubs first base Justin Turner (3) gets ready for a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 3.
Chicago Cubs first base Justin Turner (3) gets ready for a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on March 3. / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
In this story:

New Chicago Cubs infielder Justin Turner is going viral for a wholesome moment that he shared with a group of fans before the team's exhibiton game against the Yomiuri Giants in Tokyo.

The Cubs are in Tokyo readying for the two-game Toyko Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, which kicks off on Tuesday.

Turner saw a pair of young fans wearing beards that resembled his old beard with the Dodgers, and he made sure to go over to them, give them baseball's, and take pictures.

Turner is known to be a great guy and a solid clubhouse presence, and this just exemplifies it.

Turner is heading into the 17th year of his career with the Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Blue Jays, Mariners and Cubs. He's a .285 lifetime hitter who helped the Dodgers win the World Series in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

He hit .259 last season for the Blue Jays and Mariners and figures to get time at both first base and designated hitter for Chicago.

The Cubs are coming off a year in which they finished tied for second in the National League Central, but missed the playoffs. However, with Turner and Kyle Tucker in the fold, the team has much greater expectations.

Chicago last won a World Series in 2016.

After the two games in Tokyo, they'll return home to prepare for the Domestic Opening Day, which is March 27.

Chicago will travel to Arizona that day to take on the Diamondbacks, who have high expectations of their own this season.

Published
Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

Home/News