Jonathan Ortiz Román moved from Caguas to Chicago in 2019, to a place 15 minutes from the iconic Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs.

He quickly became a fan of the team, regularly attending games from the popular bleachers section.

Seven years later, the organization will celebrate Puerto Rican Heritage Day this Thursday with a jersey designed by the hands of the Puerto Rican artist and graphic designer during the series against the Athletics.

The opportunity arose after the Cubs learned about Ortiz Román’s work through his exhibition Pleibol, presented in 2022 at the Humboldt Park Boat House Gallery, located in Chicago’s historic Puerto Rican neighborhood.

The exhibition included works inspired by Puerto Rican baseball figures such as Roberto Clemente, Yadier Molina, and Javier Báez, a member of the Cubs’ 2016 championship team, among other prominent Puerto Rican players.

“Just as Puerto Rican ballplayers have left the island to play Major League Baseball, I also left home to pursue my own Major League dream, but in design. This is the moment where my passion for my craft and my love for baseball and the Cubs come together”, said Ortiz Román, 34, who returned to Puerto Rico in 2025.

“Designing the jersey was a way to honor where I come from. When I lived in Chicago, Puerto Rico was always with me. This design represents all Puerto Ricans who, even though we may be physically far away, carry the island with us wherever we go. With pride, we remain Puerto Rican no matter where we are”, he added.

The jersey features a “Home Run Pattern” filled with symbols representing Puerto Rico, including the Taíno sun, the coquí frog, the garita, the pandero, bomba, güiro, cuatro, vejigante, the maga flower, the emerald hummingbird, and the traditional wooden houses that are part of the island’s rural landscape.

In addition, the Cubs’ iconic bear was reimagined as a jíbaro wearing a straw hat (pava), while the design incorporates a special logo with the inscription “Los Cubs”.

The piece also includes a nod to the shared history between Puerto Rico and the franchise.

The team’s classic bear appears holding the Puerto Rican flag in its original light blue tone, a reference both to the island’s historical flag and the Cubs’ traditional blue colors.

As part of Thursday’s celebration, fans who purchased the special ticket package received the jersey designed by Ortiz Román.

On the Cubs’ website, the item is shown as completely sold out.

“When I moved to Chicago seven years ago, I never imagined I would have the opportunity to experience something like this”, Ortiz said.

“I feel deeply honored and grateful to all the Puerto Ricans who showed up and supported this project. Every detail of this jersey was designed with our community in mind, with a lot of love, respect, and pride for our roots. I hope they wear it with the same pride with which it was created and that it represents a little piece of Puerto Rico wherever they take it”.

Text and some quotations provided by Ana M. Rivera.

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This content was translated from Spanish to English using artificial intelligence and was reviewed by an editor before being published.