Cubs manager Craig Counsell secures win in his first home game at Wrigley Field

When manager Craig Counsell stepped into the Cubs offices Monday, he found himself wishing the walk across the street in front of Wrigley Field had lasted longer.

“Because that’s the cool part, and that’s the part you want to soak in,” he said before the Cubs beat the Rockies 5-0. “It’s going to be a lot of fun walking in here every day, for sure.”

Counsell, of course, was plenty familiar with the visitor’s side of the ballpark. But the longtime Brewers manager wore Cubbie Blue in front of a partially frozen crowd of about 40,000 at Wrigley Field for the first time on Monday for the Cubs home opener.

“Probably more nervous that I get lost around here than once the game starts,” Counsell said. “Just just finding your way around and everything. … Can’t wait for the game to start.”

During the pregame festivities, he jogged out of the dugout in pinstripes, pyrotechnics shooting up beside the blue carpet that led onto the field.

“I cut the corner too sharp, I guess, and felt a little eyebrow singe,” Counsell said with a laugh. “That scared me a little. I didn’t know that they were popping fireworks out of there, honestly.”

The starting lineup followed him – with uneven output from the sparklers. The lineup also included two players who were experiencing a game at Wrigley Field for the first time. Lefty Shota Imanaga pitched in his first MLB game. And rookie Michael Busch started at first base.

Hours before the game, Bush stood in the left-handed batter’s box, miming his swing. He put his new-ballpark routine into practice on his new home field.

Weathering Steele’s injury

It will be a team effort to mitigate the loss of lefty Justin Steele (strained left hamstring) over at least the next month.

“It’s a tough schedule the next few weeks as well,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Monday. “So, we have to figure it out. No one’s going to feel sorry for us. You do need depth. We didn’t hope to be tested this early, but we are going to be, and some guys are going to have to step up.”

The Cubs listed their starter Wednesday, when Steele was next scheduled to start, as “TBD.” But the pitchers aren’t the only ones who will shoulder extra responsibility.

“From a defensive perspective, for the group, trying to only give the other team 27 outs,” left fielder Ian Happ said after the team played a sloppy defensive series in Texas. “Everything adds up. So the more that we can make sure that guys don’t have to throw extra pitches, starters can go longer into games, gives us a chance to use the bullpen less, that all adds up over the course of the season.

“So that’s our responsibility to do what we can to limit that, play really solid defense, which this group has done for years now, and continue to have that as a strength of ours.”

Sandberg first pitch

Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game. It was his first public appearance since announcing in January that he’d been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer.

“When he was walking out there, you could just tell he was a great player,” Counsell said. “There’s a presence to the man. And I know he’s a quiet, soft spoken man, but there’s a presence to the man. And so from a health perspective, that he’s able to get out there and throw out a first pitch, I think it makes us all feel good.”