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Cubs' Ben Brown rises to the challenge vs. Tigers, 2024 AL Cy Young Tarik Skubal

Related Topics: Chicago Cubs, Craig Counsell

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“You hear the phone ring, you get going, all your guys are in there cheering you on,” he told the Sun-Times this week. “There’s a little bit of a difference, rather than preparing all day long to pitch once a week.”

He’s also motivated to hold onto his starting spot, a role he’s just as passionate about.

“I wish I could have both,” he said.

With an opener pitching before Brown last week, he essentially did have both – and put together his best appearance of the season. But in his start Friday against the Tigers, it was up to him to pull from the aggressive reliever-like mentality that fed into his success, with a more traditional team pitching plan.