04/24/26 08:54:00
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04/24 20:52 CDT Cubs' Michael Conforto gets his 2025 World Series ring from the
Dodgers
Cubs' Michael Conforto gets his 2025 World Series ring from the Dodgers
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --- Michael Conforto enjoyed a highlight before the Chicago
Cubs opened a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night.
The Cubs' backup outfielder was visited by his former Dodgers teammates who
brought quite a gift --- a 2025 World Series ring. The Dodgers beat the Toronto
Blue Jays in seven games to win a second straight championship.
"Opening it, putting it on --- one of the coolest moments in my baseball
career, for sure," Conforto said. "Right up there with dogpiling after Game 7."
Conforto struggled mightily with the Dodgers, batting a career-worst .199 with
121 strikeouts playing on a $17 million, one-year deal. He didn't make the
postseason roster and the team later let his contract expire.
But all that was forgotten during the brief pregame reunion.
"Really cool to see all the guys and just have them be excited for me to get my
ring," he said.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, "I will definitely find Michael and
congratulate him. I know he didn't perform the way that people would have liked
and he would have liked, but I loved him on the team. I loved what he brought
to the Dodgers."
Conforto showed the gaudy ring that contains another ring inside it and the box
featuring video highlights of the 2025 season to a couple teammates at his
locker in the visiting clubhouse.
"It's totally the way L.A. does it. That's how they do things, different and
grand," he said. "It's really cool that they put a second ring in there so you
can wear it a little bit more low-key."
There was nothing low-key about Conforto's time in Los Angeles. Agitated fans
practically begged Roberts to leave him out of the lineup, but Conforto
appeared in 138 games, mostly in left field. He had 36 RBIs, 56 walks and a
.638 OPS.
"Naturally, I wanted to go over there and slug with the superstars," he said of
being on a team with Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, among
others. "I put my energy in a place that kind of put me at a disadvantage.
Those are good lessons to bring with me and things I think about a lot."
Conforto signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs and made the opening day
roster. He's hitting .304 in 23 at-bats, with seven hits, five RBIs, seven
walks and 10 strikeouts.
His disappointing year in Los Angeles taught Conforto an important lesson about
priorities.
"My focus needed to be on moving runners, having good at bats, getting guys in
from third with less than two outs, the little baseball things, and less about
having a big swing, hitting the homer," he said. "Those things happen
organically. When you're going out there and trying to do it, it's going to be
really hard for you."
Conforto credits Roberts for backing him while at the same time telling him the
truth.
"He stuck with me for a long time and continued to be positive with me. At the
same time, he was real honest about what he needed to see from me and that's
all you can ask for as a player," Conforto said. "It helped pull me out of the
huge slump that I was in and I made myself valuable enough to keep around. I
owe that to him for sticking with me."
His mother, Tracie Ruiz-Conforto, won two gold medals at the 1984 Los Angeles
Games, when artistic swimming made its Olympic debut.
"Finally have something that is on the same level," Conforto said, "but she's
got two gold, so I got to get another ring."
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