MESA, Ariz. \u2014 Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell couldn\u2019t help but think of his late father Thursday afternoon at Sloan Park.<\/p>\n
Counsell, sitting on a folding chair next to the dugout, watched his elder son, Brady, a 10th-round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks last year, step into the batter\u2019s box for the first professional plate appearance of his career. Brady worked a five-pitch walk against lefty Luke Little in the eighth inning and was waiting on-deck for another at-bat when the Cubs closed out an 8-1 win.<\/p>\n
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