Fourteen years after interfering with a foul ball that could have cost the Chicago Cubs a place in the 2003 World Series, the team has given Steve Bartman a World Series ring from their 2016 championship.
WGN-TV reported that members of the Cubs front office, including owner Tom Ricketts and president of baseball operations Theo Epstein were on hand for the ceremony, which took place in the owner's office.
Bartman had infamously deflected a foul ball in Game 6, keeping Cubs outfielder Moises Alou from having a chance to catch the ball. The Cubs went on to lose the game and then dropped Game 7 to the Florida Marlins.
Ricketts also gave Bartman, who has kept from public view since the incident, a tour of Wrigley Field to show him what had changed since 2003.
In a statement to the television station, Ricketts said: "We hope this provides closure on an unfortunate chapter of the story that has perpetuated throughout our quest to win a long-awaited World Series. While no gesture can fully lift the public burden he has endured for more than a decade, we felt it was important Steve knows he has been and continues to be fully embraced by this organization.
"After all he has sacrificed, we are proud to recognize Steve Bartman with this gift today."
Bartman also issued a statement, in which he said that he wouldn't participate in interviews about Monday's events.
"I humbly receive the ring not only as a symbol of one of the most historic achievements in sports, but as an important reminder for how we should treat each other in today's society," Bartman's statement said.
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