Cubs game today produced Justin Dean’s first major-league hit, and he made it a bases-loaded triple in the seventh inning of the Cubs’ 16-2 win over the Blue Jays at Wrigley Field on June 19, 2026. The 29-year-old reached a milestone after 10 seasons in the minors and Mexico.
Wrigley Field belongs to Dean
Dean replaced Pete Crow-Armstrong in center after the Cubs had already built an 11-2 lead, then tripled in his first big-league at-bat. He had just been called up from Triple-A Iowa before Friday’s game, and Craig Counsell said he would be used in pinch-running and defensive-replacement roles.
That is what makes the hit stand out. Dean was brought in for speed and defense, but the first time he got a real chance to swing, he drove in a run and reached third base with the bags full. He said, “I almost cried,” and added, “We kept it inside, though.”
Dean’s long road
The hit came after a long climb through the minors and Mexico, and Dean said, “I’ve been waiting a long time for that.” He also said, “I’m super happy it came at this stadium, with this team and with these guys.” After the game, he planned to stare at the ball before sending it to his parents for safe keeping, a fitting finish for a player who said they helped him through times when he considered leaving baseball.
Dean’s own words matched the shape of the night. “I played baseball my whole life, I like to think I’m a capable hitter,” he said, then followed with, “Whatever the team needs, though.” Counsell backed that up by saying, “The big thing is Justin’s been playing this game for a long time,” and, “It’s a little different when you go though what Justin’s gone through in the game and played the game as long as he had.”
Boyd nears return
Dean’s breakthrough came while the Cubs were also managing their pitching depth. Matthew Boyd was in the clubhouse on Friday and seemed to be nearing a return to the Cubs’ depleted rotation, with a rehab start scheduled for Saturday for the High-A South Bend Cubs at Fort Wayne. For Dean, the immediate job still looks specialized, but a first hit like this gives the Cubs a reason to keep watching the at-bats instead of treating him only as a runner or late-inning defender.
He said he wanted to watch the video “a couple of time,” feel the moment, and get back to it tomorrow. That is the next step now: keep the role, keep producing when the bat is in his hands, and make the club decide how much more of his game it wants to use.
