Cubs, Indians meet in final Big League Weekend at Cashman Field

Big League Weekend has brought a host of Hall of Famers and All-Stars to Cashman Field since 1991.

But with the 51s scheduled to move into a new ballpark next season, the final Big League Weekend at Cashman will take place Saturday and Sunday.

The Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians will meet in a rematch of the 2016 World Series — won in seven games by the Cubs — and are expected to bring some All-Stars of their own.

Bonanza High graduate Kris Bryant, the 2016 National League MVP, will make the trip, as will Anthony Rizzo and Addison Russell. The Indians will bring dynamic shortstop Francisco Lindor and Jason Kipnis.

They will join an impressive list, including Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr., Greg Maddux and Frank Thomas.

“I think of Vin Scully broadcasting from there is probably the first thing that was so cool. Even before that, Harry Caray. Those type of guys,” 51s president Don Logan said. “Tony Gwynn, getting to see him hit and just … when you start talking about the players, you could just go down every team and it’s just guy after guy, so that’s been great to get to see them in our ballpark.”

Big League Weekend isn’t going anywhere when the 51s move to Summerlin.

In fact, there are plans for it to get bigger and better because of a facility better equipped to handle sellout crowds.

“I remember when we built all the additional seats, we put 15,000 people in there, but we didn’t put in any extra bathrooms or points of sale for the concessions,” Logan said. “You should see that place with 15,000 people in it. It’s a quagmire.”

The hope is to be able to host an additional two-game series in March.

Big League Weekend next year would mark the first games in the new park, for which the 51s broke ground last month. The belief is that the park will be ready by next March.

“I am not a construction guy, but that’s what we’ve been shooting for and that’s what they’re telling me,” Logan said. “We expect it to be.”

But for now, the 51s will embrace the final Big League Weekend at Cashman Field. As always, a large crowd is expected for both days.

“I think there (will) be some nostalgia. There will be a little melancholy not being at Cashman (next year),” Logan said. “I think that will be difficult at first, but it will be exciting to be in the new place and seeing how it plays. It’ll just be a lot easier to function out there because we’re going to have room to maneuver.”

Contact Betsy Helfand at bhelfand@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BetsyHelfand on Twitter.