There will come a day when asking “What’s Roku?” sounds quaint.
Sunday was not that day for some Chicago Cubs fans.
Instead, it was a Mother’s Day morning spent frantically searching for a way to watch the 11 a.m. start between the Cubs and New York Mets.
It was all on the Roku app, which MLB assured fans was free and simple to use. Just download the app or watch on the website (as long as you create an account).
Here’s how it worked for some on Sunday:
Download App. Check.
Screen: “Allow Roku to track your activity across other companies’ apps and websites?”
Hit “No.” Or hit “Yes.” It all depends on your tolerance of Roku ads popping up on the internet for the rest of your life.
Screen: “We’ve made important updates.”
Hit “Agree.” Or hit “Don’t Agree” and go listen to the game on WSCR-AM 670.
Screen: “The Roku Channel. Browse.”
Hit “Browse.” Begin browsing.
Screen: “On Now. MLB: Chicago Cubs at New York Mets.”
Hit: “Watch now on mobile.”
Screen: “Sign into your Roku account.”
Wake up kids and ask: “What’s our Roku password?”
Once signed in, you were able to hear Joe Girardi talk about his Cubs career and also a pretty interesting game, a 6-2 Cubs loss that turned on the Mets’ four-run eighth inning.
And now you can watch “Wicked Tuna” or “Best of Dr. Phil” or some other Roku show that you never knew existed.
Sunday’s Roku game capped off a momentous weekend for the Cubs and manager Craig Counsell, who sent rookie Cade Horton out Saturday for his major-league debut and also used closer Ryan Pressly in the sixth inning in Friday’s loss, temporarily pacifying fans upset over his unsettling performance as closer.
Porter Hodge closed the 6-5 win on Saturday, which seemingly buried the closer controversy behind Horton’s debut, only to have it resurface Sunday when Hodge gave up three runs, including the go-ahead home run to Francisco Lindor in the four-run Mets’ eighth.
Counsell could’ve been accused of overthinking things Friday when he announced reliever Brad Keller would be the opener on Saturday, a move he never telegraphed. Counsell used an opener only twice in 2024, so it’s not a big part of his playbook since coming to Chicago, though he employed it at times in Milwaukee, including during the postseason.
Horton pitched well and got his first major-league win, allowing three runs on four hits over four innings and being removed after 77 pitches, in line with his average from his six starts at Triple-A Iowa. He’s on tap to make his Wrigley Field debut next weekend against the White Sox in the first Cubs-Sox showdown since the crosstown rivals traded claims over ownership of Pope Leo XIV’s fandom.
Counsell’s strategy, which meant Horton had one fewer matchup against the Mets’ top three hitters — Lindor, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso — worked about as well as Counsell could’ve asked.
The Cubs gave Counsell a record five-year, $40 million deal to make big decisions like this. I asked then-general manager Jed Hoyer back in 2015 if managing the Cubs was the most difficult job in sports, back when they had yet to break “the curse.”
“Over the last 107 years it has proven to be the most difficult, and I think it’s a job that certainly is challenging,” Hoyer said. “You’re in a major market. You’ve got a rabid fan base. But I certainly think it’s a doable job. It’s a job that’s attainable. You have to have the best team and you have to get hot in October. I don’t think there are inherent obstacles. Maybe there have been in the past.”
Hoyer may have been throwing shade at his predecessors and their lack of success getting the Cubs to October, but he obviously believes great managers can make a strong team better. And he definitely thought Counsell was a significant upgrade from David Ross, or he wouldn’t have fired the former Cubs cult hero.
We saw no immediate benefits from the switch in 2024, but now we’ll see whether the Counsell effect is real. Will Pressly’s leash be as long as the one Counsell gave to Héctor Neris last season? Pressly was warming up in the seventh Sunday, but Counsell went with Keller in the bottom of the inning after the Cubs tied the game at 2-2.
Counsell’s handling of Horton will also be scrutinized the rest of the year, if Horton sticks, and the rookie’s workload will be monitored after he came off shoulder issues that limited him to 29 innings at Iowa in ’24.
Horton’s debut was comparable to Mark Prior’s in 2002, at least in terms of memorable Cubs prospects. That doesn’t say much for the development of Cubs pitching prospects over the last 23 years, but it is what it is.
Prior threw 103 pitches in his debut, a 7-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 22, 2002, allowing two runs on four hits with 10 strikeouts over six innings. Coincidentally, Girardi was his catcher.
Horton has the talent to become one of the better Cubs pitching prospects this century, which is why he’ll be handled with care this season. Of players who primarily performed in the 21st century, the eight winningest pitchers while wearing a Cubs uniform are Carlos Zambrano (125 wins), Kyle Hendricks (97), Kerry Wood (80), Jon Lester (77), Jake Arrieta (73), Ryan Dempster (67), Jon Lieber (50) and Ted Lilly (47). Wood and Dempster, of course, were relievers at times in Chicago, which affected their win totals.
Prior didn’t last long due to injuries, and his 42 wins are tied for 71st on the Cubs’ all-time wins list with Scott Sanderson. If he stays healthy, Horton should be able to eclipse Prior’s career.
Anxiety-ridden Cubs fans were left with the fact that the Cubs have lost two straight series heading into Monday’s six-game homestand against the lowly Miami Marlins and White Sox.
But at least they learned how to watch a game on Roku.
Baby steps.
