1998 NL Wild Card Tiebreaker (Giants vs. Cubs) | #MLBAtHome

The defense for the Cubs. They've made a change. Henry Rodriguez starts in left field today. They had some problems out in the outfield and yesterday's ball game ball that bounced away from Hernandez in the late innings turned into a double pop up that bounce in the shallow centerfield at Johnson and blogger didn't handle. Bagwell scored in first forcing him to tie the ball game so they made some changes. Rodriguez also a big back for the line since nine days ago an anonymous starts he made five starts there in mid-month fully healthy enough to play so we'll see how he looks tonight having had in essence the last nine days of stand how he leads it off the veteran. But it has been hitting lead off of the giants. Most of the time that they go home with a stronger defense tonight so having errors in the left John hot air is a very streaky hitter and he's won one of his streaks night. Right now he's been swinging the bat really well in a couple of home runs in Colorado two days ago. The Giants have not done well against Drexel and Baker going with anybody who has done well against him even close to doing well against him in the past but also going with his experience people. But he wanted a true center fielder in there as well because he has Joe Carter in right fielder Wrigley Field Chicago and never had the Cubs been involved in one of these in their long history. The closest that the Cubs franchise has ever come to a playoff was 19 0 8 or the great pennant races of all time in the National League and they ended up having to play in essence a makeup game against the Giants because of the dispute involving Fred Merkle and with Hall of Famer Mordecai three finger Brown with the man they beat. Hall of Famer Kristi Matheson who went to the and Giants fans believed that they should never have gotten there that they had a game taken away from the unjustly there's the way it turned out. The Cubs won at 42. They won that will says they have never won a World Series since 90 years it's been Richard really other hitter giants shortstop and the cat goes to two and all the power comes up next. Barry Bonds on Dan the Giants in the last two months have been the highest scoring team in the majors higher even than the Yankees or the Rangers the slugging American League teams and finished the 162 games as the second highest scoring team in the National League yes. Now Barry Bonds tremendous year for bonds 37 homers 121 runs batted in 120 runs scored hitting over three fourth in the league and slugging percentage at 88 extra base hits second in the league only behind McGuire even a head of social. One thing the Giants and the club both have in their favor tonight they got Bruce framing behind the plate a big game umpire and a veteran which is what you want in this type of game. You got the extra pass for this one too just like the postseason a six man crew is working Jim Riggleman managing the biggest game of his young off the fish. This will come back out of play. That's a good pitch and it's an important pitch right there for tracks all for the remainder of the game to let Barry Bonds know that he will pitch him inside the first two pitches were away a lot of teams pitch Barry inside. But they're afraid that if they missed by six inches hit the ball out of the ballpark. I think early in the ball game you have to establish to Barry that you will come inside bonds backs away. Bonds had 26 career at bats against Drexel has one home run and only a two sixty nine average against a subtraction has done well with him. But most of the giants of struggle against him only Charley Hayes and bonds of that any success. He's also hitting to sixty nine. But he has two home runs against trackside One ball two strikes and they both have the same number at bats or both seventh for 26 coming into this ballgame. Jeff Kent would be next. Can't bonds with a third pair of hitters ever to have 30 plus homers and 120 plus RBI for the Giants in the same year in their 160 year history Fletcher are really taking a lot of time the Cubs feel that sometimes when he does that takes more and more time he thinks himself and doesn't fall into a rhythm. Chandler Houston the catcher drops sign a great beginning for Steve tracksuit he retires the side in order. The Cubs are coming up. Sosa grew up third MLB at home is presented by Roman the digital health clinic for men and proud partner of Major League Baseball. Giants nothing and the cubs coming up now from Wrigley Field Chicago the wind blowing in tonight from right field which should be good news if you're a pitcher nine miles per hour Sixty nine degrees is the game time temperature here's the Cubs batting order an avalanche Johnson Center Field Mickey Moore and Deanie. He'd been there before with the 93 Phillies had a fine season. Sammy Sosa one of the great seasons of all time Aunt Grace at first base. He's been here in the big games before and done extremely well against the Giants. Henry Rodriguez having a great year with a long ball until an injury shut him down. Gary guy Eddie acquired from McGuire's team the Cardinals and he just was a key man for the Cubs in the stretch. Tyler Houston the catcher say Hernandez at Shorty finish going to slump at twenty three homers and Steve tracks on the pitcher batting ninth on the mound for the Giants. Thirty six year old veteran Mark Gardner in many ways this year the best year that he's ever there is a big league starter and mostly because of a great finish. Well he's got all the pitches and his key has been lately has been his control. He's been able to spot the fastball stay out of the middle of the plate with it has an excellent curve ball and he will throw a little cut fastball to the left handed hitters strike one call to Lance Johnson up Gardner in his career has had problems in the first inning but he seems to have corrected those the last couple of months grinder with a six point one three lifetime NRA in the first inning. And when we saw him back in July against Atlanta he was having those first inning blues but they made a few changes in his preparation for starts and he's done well the last couple of months. Suffice it to say are the history of Gardner if he would get to him the first inning often is the time to do it. Let's take a look at Giants defensive. Charlie Hayes gets the start tonight against right handed but as I mentioned Charlie Hayes has had some success on the track so two home runs and 26 at bat and he's a veteran. Here's Mickey more in detail now he takes a called strike Mickey Moore and Danny the veteran to 96 for the year eight homers fifty three batted in your capsule have been taunting him for a Gold Glove and secondly I think he's been that good defensively. Certainly had an outstanding year with the bad bottom two strikes on the foul ball you know over the years comes Joey voicing the Cubs will come in here with a bunch of guys who swing the bat aggressively and very few guys get horns. Well Mickey Moran Dini 72 was excellent on base averaged and they've got Mark Grace getting walks and even Sammy Sosa getting a lot more Sammy said before the game. He didn't figure he'll hit four home runs to tie Martin McGuire and remember all the statistics tonight. Count says I don't think so. In terms of catching McGuire but he also said I hope I get it to and so to these cubs fans and he has hit four homers in his career against Gardner that ties his record but most home runs against any one pitcher so bad luck for the Cubs. He didn't mean to hit it and they get Sosa without even swinging the bat no score. It's the wildcard tiebreaker in the National League. Dusty Beck is giants nothing. Jim recommends cuts nothing after one inning divisional series will get underway tomorrow. The Indians and the Red Sox Pedro Martinez and Sharon Wright at one o'clock and ESPN and the Padres and Astros and what a matchup at four o'clock as Kevin Brown takes on Randy Johnson and then tomorrow night at 8:00 Eastern 5:00 Pacific on the Fox network. The Texas Rangers versus the New York Yankees Tom Stottlemeyer for Texas and David Wells will go for the Yanks at Yankee Stadium for three big games to get it started tomorrow. The Atlanta Braves will wait until Wednesday. They'll be playing the winner of this game in Game 1 on Wednesday at Turner Field in Atlanta Jeff Kent to ninety nine average he's never hit 300 in a season 31 homers a career record one hundred twenty seven runs batted in fact put the homers in RBI s career records and Kent broke a record that has stood for more than 70 years for the Giants for RB eyes by a second baseman in a single season set by Rogers Hornsby besides Joe Morgan the best hitting second baseman in history most likely day one anytime you break anything that says I was born here. I know you've done a great job because he was a special special hitter but Jeff Kent has become a special player in that. I mean he's the perfect guy to complement Barry Bonds he's hit behind him and every time they walk Bonds he's made them pay for it that's why Bonds scored 120 runs here. Now Joe Crocker and Joe Carter may be playing his final game in the Major Leagues. He's said he's going to retire at the end of the season and what a great player he has been throughout his career. Three hundred and ninety six home runs and just a consummate RBI man. He's been I've just driven in 100 runs and wherever he's played doesn't matter about the league or the team he started his major league career right here in Chicago. He was a first round draft choice for the Cubs got just a little bit of a look with the Cubs and then they used him in a big trade back in 92 curveball misses one ball no strikes. It was Carter Carter was part of the deal with the Cleveland Indians have brought Rick Sutcliffe here Chris Sutcliffe went 16 and one for the Cubs that year and the second half to help him go to the league championships in Chris Carter had a chance to play every day and treatment became a star. And Joe his legacy. I mean you need to run driven in. He is the man to see he's 11 years with over 100 RB eyes. Joe Carter on Thursday in his final home game with the Giants got several standing ovations at Candlestick Park yesterday and what he thought was his final regular season game. Standing ovation in Denver he rose to the occasion and hit a homerun. So Carter says that's the final home game Homer. What I thought was the final regular season game my Homer and I have to Homer tonight at Wrigley Field 18 homers altogether this year is a part time player with Baltimore and then with San Francisco two down. Well Joe Carter hit that ball very hard to right field even though the wind's blowing in. It wasn't a high drive with more of a line drive. So he he got the carry out of it on a 3 1 contract so makes a pretty good pitch he keeps it away from Carter. It goes the other way. And Sammy Sosa had a little trouble with it I think he felt like the wind was blowing and it was going to knock it down but it really didn't. To that nobody on and here comes J.T. Snow. Snow is the only player here today who has gone through one of these before angels. They played the playoff tiebreaker at the kingdom in Seattle and of course the Seattle Mariners won that ballgame to win the Western Division of the American League Two balls and no strikes. Snow has experienced it in his memories are certainly not very pleasant. The Angels lost a huge lead that year in the stretch to the Mariners. This year's snows on the other side of it as the Giants have come from well back here in the late going and get shoulder tendinitis. He's got a risk problem is right wrist and he is not a switch hitter right now. The bat only left handed even if the Cubs bring in a left handed pitcher. Well he really has struggled from the right side the last couple of years anyway and he gets a fourth pitch walk with two down first base runner for the Giants against trackside longtime Cub fans. He's seen a lot of good things happen here in Chicago and a lot of things that she'd rather forget 1969 probably comes to mind first. He remembers Harry Carey I'm sure finally you see that character of Harry Dusty Baker said yesterday after the game in Denver the only thing he's was sure that Wrigley Field would be rocking. The only thing you wish that Harry Carey was going to second Harry would be there in spirit. Nonetheless he Charlie Hayes out of giants depth played third base first baseman an excellent pinch hitter for the far end with a fastball one want to know strike by the way Charlie. Hayes hails from Mississippi originally and his family his mom and dad live in Mississippi. And of course Mississippi is being threatened by Hurricane George. And China has been unable to make contact with his family down there. He's very worried about them. And he asked us to do mentioned if they're watching down there please call Wrigley Field tonight. So he can rest easy to know that they're all right. So the Hayes family down there give Wrigley Field a call dissenting Dracula started a struggle with a controller he fell behind Joe Carter. Carter hit the ball hard and he's walked J.T. Snow and this is what the cubs are afraid of if he starts to fall behind. He will definitely get in trouble and the Giants are swinging the bat very well lately they've been scoring a lot of runs and this is not a team that you can throw a lot of 3 1 2 0 fastballs to get away with Tyler Houston sets up over the outside corner and he gets a good pitch there his pitch by traction but smart hitting by Hayes I think he was looking for something middle of the plate in that he could drive and that's what you should be doing when you get the pitcher in the hole to an old tracksuit 27 years of age Brian Johnson is on deck. I look at third base coach Ron Walters cups outfield pretty much straight away. Charlie Hayes used to be almost a dead fastball hitter but as he's gotten older and adjusted he has become more of an off speak hitter. He has a breaking ball and they all speed pitches very well that one's way inside. See his numbers. He's had some success against traction most of the Giants hitters have not done even that well. Hey success is rather modest well three to two down. Snow is not a fast runner but nonetheless Mark race is going to hold him on the bag over their they will not be disappointed. Mark Grace a strike is the only player who played in that 1989 League Championship Series between the Giants and the Cubs the Giants won it in five did it and they did not win it because of anything Mark Grace did not do in that series Grace hit six forty seven and that eighty nine playoff berth eleven for seventeen that night on ABC was shattered by the Giants who won the series but by little Clark will pocket 650 in that series if they can throw it in the middle of the plate especially when they get behind in the count. He was behind two in one and Grace sitting on a fastball. He gets the fastball they referred to right field. That's not a bad pitch it's just not a good bit to average right. There are planning around to right center. So Joe Carter had a long way to go for that ball. So now Henry Rodriguez has Grace takes first. He and J.T. Snow two of the best fielding first baseman around Rodriguez 31 homers he has not homerun however since he went down with an ankle injury back on August 24th. He hasn't played that much actually. He had Sosa having quite a power year struck on the outside perfectly plays and that's what Gardner has been able to do. And if you look at Henry Rodriguez you look at the two nine batting average 31 home runs eighty five. Really that tells you that he really hits mistakes. You make mistakes against him and he will hurt you. But if you pitch to him and keep the ball down. Change speeds well back in August he had a two homer game against the Giants in San Francisco quite a few mistakes against Barry carries everyone. Combination of Rigas Sammy Sosa which some say hit most of those in watching the Cubs over the weekend in Houston. They really didn't do a lot of running. They were not a very aggressive ballclub Riggleman said. He wasn't gonna run into any outs who wanted to play it straight up and Grace will go back to first reassess not assets mortgage. Henry Rodriguez gets good word on his pitch to see if trying to tell away Garner didn't get it out as far as he wanted. If he hit it high on the into right field second inning in a row the Cowboys admitted to it and again the double play we go to the third no score. This Bud's for the blues the reds and the Warriors This Bud's for the Giants the jazz and the magic this Bud's for the home team Wrigley Field Chicago the Giants and Cobb is playing for the right to go into the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves and the division series will get under way tomorrow. Boston and Cleveland at Jacobs Field Pedro Martinez and Gerard Wright at one on ESPN that Kevin Brown and Randy Johnson match him at the Astrodome at 4 on ESPN and finally on the Fox Network tomorrow night. The Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees Tom Stottlemeyer versus the perfect game pitcher David Wells 8:00 Eastern tomorrow night. Dusty Baker said he wishes Harry could be here. He figured he would be in spirit it feels like Harry is everywhere you look around Wrigley Field. Broadcaster the Cubs kind of a sad year for some of our broadcast icons. We lost Harry Carey before the season started and then during the summer we lost Jack Brickhouse and other Hall of Fame former voice of the Cubs and both of those former Cubs broadcasters commemorated this year on the Cubs uniforms. Is Brian Johnson the eighth place in it for the pitcher. Well I like that. To me the Giants have to be aggressive they have to look for a first pitch fastball and look for a pitching zone and try to do something with it. The one thing that judge do not want to do is go late to this ball game fifth sixth inning one to nothing or tie ball game. You have to try to do something aggressively in the first few innings to take the crowd out of the ballgame when you're on the road team. That's the toughest part. So far they've had a hard time of getting somebody on base the only base runner allowed by Drexel in the first two was a two on one for J.T. Snow in the second inning. How to play into the upper deck this is the ninth tiebreaker playoff in major league baseball history. There were never any of these kind of tiebreaker play offs until 1946 as you can see ordinarily we'd see all the other games with baseball being followed on that out of town scoreboard but there is only the one today giants have been a two other time record playoffs in their history and they're both very famous 1951 after a tremendous comeback against the Dodgers and went into a three game play into the third game. They've won and Bobby Thompson shot heard round the world 1962 the Giants and Dodgers again Giants again one of the third game with a four run ninth inning at Dodger Stadium 64 winning Dusty Baker has been in one you asked him about it before in 1980 the last National League tiebreaker play off the Dodgers and the Astros had a one game set to the Astros beat Dusty's Dodgers and that. Well I was playing for the Astros that year and I was kind of a veteran on the ball club. So before the game my advice to the players was to be aggressive. Let's go out do something early and take the crowd out of the game. It took me literally and just beat up on the Dodgers Springfield Sosa going back gets good word on it good extension and Sosa started back. He looked like the ball was going farther than it actually ended up but you could see that the win is starting to knock it down right about now and Solis was able to make the catch on the warning track to gone rather one gone and Mark Gardner coming up on the one thing I remember about the 1980 playoff we went into the clubhouse before the ballgame and you looked around and some of the guys who had never been there be forward looking a little nervous like they didn't know what they're doing and walking and Tahar who was one of the star pitchers all stood up in the middle of the clubhouse he said for all you guys are scared you should have brought your Doberman with you but it's too late now. So you got to go out and play and you know it kind of broke up the clubhouse guys had a laugh and relaxed a little bit and they did go out and played very well and it didn't hurt that Joe Negro pitch pretty well. Well the only problem is you had to use your best pitcher to get into the playoffs. You didn't have him first you know playoffs that year and that was a great playoff series the Astros and the Phillies. That's defined the Phillies wanted might have been the difference. I think it definitely made a difference because he couldn't use in three games. Yes. He was the best pitcher on the staff at that time to guard not nobody on a third inning. I also remember that we had lost three games in a row to the Dodgers. So the point is that what happened yesterday shouldn't have any bearing in camp. You have to say hey it's over and you start all over again. That's what these two teams have to do today. Two down. Well it wasn't so dramatic this year's 1980 the Giants didn't sweep the cubs this weekend to get here but 10 days ago the Cubs led the Giants by five games and two teams were ahead of the Giants. Since then the Cubs went on and six. The Giants 8 and 2 and that created the tie the Mets lost their last five in a row. Getting swept with the Rays over the weekend in Atlanta and losing two in New York to the Montreal Expos. To me that was the real killer even more than the Braves that's get shut out of the last 17 innings in their two game series by the Expos tough weekend though in Atlanta. I mean you go in there and on Saturday Glavin starts a 20 game winner and he's really by Nagle a 16 game on it who in turn was relieved by Millwood a 17 game winning first three pitchers they use had 53 wins not only that John Glavin went out there knowing he didn't have to pace himself. He only was going five innings so he could you know he could pitcher his five innings in back like that's the end of the ballgame. You know every time he went out there so he'd give you he could give you his extra best stuff and that's what he did. And Maddox yesterday stand Harvey you're a lead off man for the Giants two balls on a strike two down nobody on the Giants have gotten only one man on base against tracks thus far. That's been the history of steep tracks old John. He will pitch well for three innings maybe but the second or third time through the order he seems to maybe change is pitching pattern too much or try to go to something different. And if you're a patient team you can stay with him and you can usually have some pitches to hit your second or third at bat against the rich or really it would be next no score. We're in the third inning. Harvey are not known for its power but he had a two home run game in Colorado the other day and this is a 3 1 pitch that he can turn on if he gets a fastball that is the second baseman for the Giants both on walks like tracks. Harvey also can steal a base Twenty 21 steals for the year second on the club. He's only been caught five times so good percentage. What are you. Dusty Baker trying to have him run here in front of a brilliant idea. I definitely think that if he you know you put him on his own if he can get a good job he takes off. I believe if you're the road team you have to make something happen. You just can't wait back and hope for good things. When you're really standing in really at random a third is first time let's back and relay some signs over to third base coach Ron Walters really. And how do you give voters their attention. Well it's getting hit in the jaw on the right side of the jaw giving a slight signal the other day in Denver at third base the throw from Larry Walker went right through Vinny Castillo and he hit voters on the jaw really and backs away again looking at voters I mean how many options could they have here with two down much or all these signs. More habit than anything else second baseman Mickey more any way over toward the middle the right side of the infield is almost wide open for a really with race over there on the back with honey John you want to hit hard to look down at the third base coach let him go through signs every time because you do not want him not to look down you have to yell at him to give him a sign because everyone in the ballpark of know something's up so that's why it's important that you look down there after every pitch Barry Bonds is on deck relaying the signs from Dusty Baker it's important pitch here because it allows the Giants to do anything they want right here if Poppy wants to take off he knows they're not going to pitch out if dusty wants to put a hit and run on he can do that so he should take off then. Well I think tracks will throw man who I am. He's thinking like you are he's thinking like you are you explained it for me after you explain it then I decided for both of giants nothing comes. Nothing. Laughs with the third inning. John Miller. Joe Morgan here with you on the eve of the American National League divisional series which began at all and lustrous and wide. It's really start Governor Richardson for all that careful movers and your outline your time hand operated scoreboard at Wrigley Field. You like those things don't you. I'm into it. Oh okay. Everybody should have a hand operated scoreboard home with all of the scores from out of town being posted at all times so the handbook job building new stadium not just sorry. I don't mind him punching the computer and throwing it up there very quickly. Strike one too. Tyler Houston. I think this is a very important inning for Gardner if he can get the Cubs out. The Giants have Captain bonds coming up the next ending and he has struggled a little bit he's been getting runners on but he's been able to get the ground ball to get out of the innings. But it's important for him just establish that he's in control of this ballgame. Misses with a curve ball there one ball two strides to Tyler Houston Posey Hernandez and Steve Tressel will follow to it too. Mark Gardner out of Fresno State University and last year in the stretch run he really did not pitch at all for the Giants his wife Laurie had life threatening now that pays dividends right there because Marvin Benard a lot shorter than than Stan Harvey Aaron that may have been a more difficult play for him. But the other reason that hobby is a true center fielder whereas Bernard is actually a corner guy he's a left fielder right fielder two balls to strike fastball against the middle of the plate. You can see Brian Johnson set up outside to watch Tom here being taller than Marvin Benard. It's not as difficult to play but a good play there by Stan Posey. HERNANDEZ Now one Bono strikes and that is at twenty three home runs for the Cubs this year finished the year in a slump though that's a cold strike one ball one strike. The gardener's wife Laurie actually had a very complicated transplant surgery liver transplant surgery and she's fine he's doing very well. And the Gardner family as a whole we're glad to report doing extremely well and Mark Gardner unlike last year pitching down the stretch for the Giants and leading their staff and the pitcher traction was on the eighty four a batch it only 155 but he gets a whopping to play John because as a pitcher he'll be trying to buck the ball to first base and J.T. is very good at coming in and getting the lead runner on a buck. JT Yeah. Father Jack named after his father giving Jackson a little publicity there. Why do we see former wide receiver for the Rams. He's a broadcaster now for the Rams a lot of times pitchers aren't able to get that buttoned down and help themselves. Excellent. But guys at the first base the job John last. JOHNSON One of the smallest players stature wise in the major leagues. Not very big boned or anything. Uses a 40 ounce back. That's what he swing. For a strike in this day and age when most players are using 31 30 twos. He's up to 40 ounces like the babe babe Ruth and the guys use to swing those really start to implement the use of real heavy bat last Johnson. When we were here eight days ago when Sammy Sosa day Sammy did not hit a homerun but Lance Johnson did. Finished with two home runs in 300 employees not finished yet and got two and 300 at bats right now. We have played three scoreless innings. The tension builds a little bit. Bonds Captain Cotter coming out no score. We'll meet again. I don't know where Don't know when we'll meet again some sunny day the winner goes into the division series the loser goes home. One game winner take all the Giants and Cubs scoreless as we head to the fourth inning. Coming up this Friday at 8:00 Eastern on ESPN is the premiere of Friday night finds Andrew Galarza versus Jim Weatherspoon the main event. Muhammad Ali will be featured in the classic fight segment. Ryan Kenny and Max Kellerman host the most comprehensive boxing show on television ESPN to Friday night fights well. This place was just too raucous and loud as the game was beginning Joe. But right now is a little more tense as Barry Bonds strikes to the plate. Let's take a look at how he pitched bonds in the first and I said the fastball right there was very important because he ends up talking about change up down the way. And because bonds has to be aware of the inside pitch he can't go out over the plate looking for the off speed pitch even though he knows that's what Trax was going to try to do. But if you come inside on a hitter and make him inside conscious it opens up the outside for at the breaking ball up and in and shut it. Foul bonds as you saw had over 400 in September or has up till now seven homers and 21 RBI is in the month both he and Kent have driven in more than a run per game since the end of July. Care what you think about his personality or anything else. He is a great player on the screen and quickly he's behind in the count over to me for a guy to hit over 400 home runs and spill over 400 bases. That is special speed and power and he's the only one in the history of game to ever do that. And we've had a lot of great players play this game and no one has ever been able to put those stats on the board. Plus he has three most memorable player awards one ball two strikes. Now give those away. You have to earn. Well I mean he's the whole package offense Steeler base he has 28 steals and a perennial Gold Gloves outfielder inside edge but too far in tune to of course Sammy Sosa. And this year Johnny has been better defensively than ever before his entire game and just picked up not just the home run production but is everything for Sammy picked up this year. You see what tracks all he's doing here just continuing to make bombs aware of the inside corner yet he's getting him out away the pitch before he came inside. Hard now look at this. He goes back away tailing away nothing bonds can do with it because you have to protect the inside. And he goes away all you can do a swing with your arms. Look at that. All bonds can do is go the other way and not much of a threat there. So he's keeping Barry off balance just with the inside pitch Jeff Kent sixty three RBI eyes in the last 54 games for Kent back out of play. He not only broke Rogers Hornsby franchise record for RBI in the season by second baseman he missed 24 consecutive games on the disabled list and was able to do that. You always have these these people stopping by to see it. I've made some good friends over the years. You saw Michael Jordan threw out the first ball. Joe's close personal friend and now the Reverend Jesse Jackson just came back another close personal friend had tried to chat and it's all to must be a big game it must be a big game you're right on to the camp to catch Joe Crowder on day right there yeah. Chester the way tracks was pitching right now John it's surprising that he pitched poorly in his last five start he's not missing into the middle of a play anytime he misses with his pitches you know they're on hit a ball there off the plate outside or inside was on the plate inside Yeah off the plate and on the hip so Kent hit by the pitch Oh you see what he's doing he's moving the ball around he went away the pitch before now he's trying to come inside corner with a fastball but he gets away from him and he hits kin in the hip but that's what he's doing so well so far tonight he's moving the ball in out and changing speeds so the Giants get a base runner with less than two outs for the first time I mean it's been kind of meager for the Giants in terms of anything offensively. Joe Carter now on land one hard to right field his first time but also one he fell behind Carter and Carter really hit a fastball hard headed first kid was wearing a brace on his right knee he hyper extended that the earlier this year back in June. Alex Rodriguez in an Italy game. Hit him hard. Trying to break up a double play. That's why he missed the 24 consecutive games he's had to where that race ever since has stolen nine bases. So if you don't keep a close eye on him he might know. Yeah I feel right toward left against Joe Crowder. Joe Carter at a twenty nine runs batted in for the Giants or has to think this is a postseason it counts in the regular season. Twenty nine RBI isn't only one hundred two at bats live what he did in September one ball one strike the target Joe Crowder the only man in world series history to hit a homerun to end the World Series when his team was trailing Bill mascara Bill Martha Roscoe had one and they were tied for what I remember for Joe is the fact that he's just so good in the clutch not just that but all the time complained about what tracks all over the years he said he won't pitch inside it while he's pitching inside now with the ball he's getting away and maybe that's the problem John is difficult to pitch inside everyone can't pitch inside you know a lot of guys want to throw the ball inside then they're afraid to hit the hit and it moves out over the plate or they missed badly inside it doesn't do you any good to try to pitch inside if you're missing by a foot you see the cup pitching coach one other thing to remember John you talked about the wind blowing and it doesn't matter. Joe Carter hits it toward a left field left field the ball will still carry here. The only place that the wind will knock the ball down is in right field but again a lot of pitchers could just cannot pitch inside. Consistent really had kept in a hole at two strikes and he hit it. He almost hit Konrads two and one not a Carter Richard really in the first inning hit the ground one a third everybody else when they hit the ball and hit it the other way. As I'm thinking about that inside pitch pitches up and over the middle of the plate what Joe Carter is pretty much a hands hitter and every once in a while he just rolls that top hand he pulls a lot of balls foul three hundred fifty five feet to the foul ball in left field three fifty three in the right field foul over the power outage much shallower than the most full count three a Jew. Well we'll see if Dusty Baker wants to send Jeff Kent in this situation. Carter and everyone's taking a look. Well I'm taking my cue from you Joe so I think he's running well base runners are eight for six team which is you know 50 50 chance that this is the traction again. I believe if you're on a road team you have to be aggressive. You have to be more aggressive. So I say yes he should be going as well. Dusty Baker is the man. And he's gotten into the playoffs. He didn't do that some can't to second Carter the first on the walk. The Giants have two men on for the first time Houston after a truck attraction. Remember this started when he had Canada holy J.T. Snow it's been the year where Jay T's emotions have been torn. His mother drew courageous battle with cancer passed away. His attentions elsewhere but nonetheless has put up 15 homers and 79 runs batted in crowd very tense right now. This has started out as one of those real tense pitcher's battles. In a double play situation you play shallow enough because in that situation you have to give up something some raised to get something trying to get the double play and get on the end. So that means like you say you were there yesterday and Jim Riggleman is trying to play real close to the vest is trying really not to take chances. It's his call. You've got the ground ball and you didn't even have a chance to get the lead but it wasn't even an option for their loss in Houston. Terry Mulholland did Riggleman on a pitch just a great game a courageous game. But lost a 3 to 1 lead in the eighth inning with the Astros fast right handed sluggers up there but what Houston does here is just put his body in front of it he doesn't really try to catch the ball he's he throws his hands open starting with all you do is try to get your body in front of you not really try to catch the ball just block it one ball one strike with Charlie Hayes and a third quarter at second movement going anything with two down now he's got more space over here now the Johnny Hayes and the man behind the Brian Johnson This has never had success with tracks well he's had his moments against Drexel Brian Johnson has been swinging the bat well lately Don. So you have to stop at some place. So he ends up walking Hayes he's taking a risk. Exactly because then he doesn't have any margin for error if he gets behind Brian Johnson he has to give him faithful wanted it three and on the count well he got Hayes to chase one up and away his first at bat he tried it once more and Hayes didn't buy nothing did nothing. The Giants do not yet have a hit against Steve Trexler with a 20 second pitch of this inning for traction this kid at third. Crowder at second hasn't gotten a sign that he wants it. Hayes is getting frustrated at play. Well I don't know if he wants to throw the pitch at all but Houston is going to go out. So they've been having a long distance argument there between the mound and home plate. Well you see a lot of pitchers now covering their mouth with their glove because a lot of times you can read their lips and say it's on the deck circle because that's what world Clark did when he was facing the cops here in the 89 playoffs and read the lips of Greg Maddux a while with the fastball. Ball four and now the bases are loaded and he will have to face Johnson and Johnson make very hard contact and the ball got knocked down by the wind back in the third inning to right fielder. Here comes Phil Regan the pitching coach out to the mound. So we got our first real crisis point in this game now. Well if you're Brian Johnson in this situations you walk to the plate and you say well I'm going to sit on a fastball he's missing with everything else I'm going to sit on a fastball in a certain location and I might try to drive the ball get a base hit the drive in the run. If he throws a curve ball or something else you go ahead and take it because it's imperative that he gets out in front of you or you can just sit on pitches. So the first pitch in my head is always the most important pitch and a bases loaded situation like this former quarterback from Stanford University 13 home runs for the year three met on two men out the Giants and Cubs scoreless. The Giants yet without a hit. And that's OK if you're Brian Johnson say OK I give him that. But if he misses with that pitch then you've got two pitches to play with. So you what you do as a hitter is put yourself in the best possible hitting situation you can get. And I believe that was sitting there looking for a fastball in the first pitch. So give Drexel credit just a great pitch. Yes only one strike. Kenneth third corner second. Hayes at first as you saw two down I guess was a split fingered pitch but he didn't get it where he wanted it. I really think he tried to throw another curveball John. He just threw it too hard. Think he tried to come with the same pitch and threw it too hard one ball one strike. Brian Johnson and yeah it's nail biting time here at Wrigley in the fourth inning. Brian Johnson I'm back in that same situation I'm sitting dad red here looking for another fastball that I can drive some place he throws me a curve ball he throws a strike so what he's gonna do it again. So it's real risky now to throw anything. Exactly. So you've got to sit there and say I'm going to look for a fastball so he's not throwing one yet to Johnson in this event. But you can't chase it out of the strike zone. He's out to sit and say I'm a look for a fastball right in a certain zone Kent Carter and the Hayes. The three runners two down again with tracks are taking an extreme amount of time. I mean he in Houston act like they've never even met each other. I mean whatever Houston's caught off our tracks and never seem to want to throw it after the ball. See the ball hit the ball. You can't really sit there and sit that fastball on the course splitter so he can see the ball. He could the wild card berth at stake. No score yet. There is a high fastball that he got but it was out in the strike zone and then track so this makes a great pitch. But when you get two strikes on you you can no longer look for a pitch. You have to see the ball and go after it. But he made the pitch not going to single his first time in a curve ball for a strike on the side a good long while they well tracks not only through a lot of pitches but took interminable lengths of time between pitches is on. This is an important part. Here again for Mark Gardner if he can go 1 2 3 and get him right back out there for tracks and make tracks will go right back to work. Then without having him sit there and be able to relax for a while everything will work in the Giants favor tracksuit hoping for the time off now to stretch the more Sammy Sosa on deck. Then Mark Grace would like to see more and Deena get a board here in front of the big guys. This is the guy who's been getting it done all year long. SAMMY SOSA Well if I had a vote I would give it to him. Although there have been a lot of great seasons this year and the popular season I mean I think he's the player of the year but the MVP and the player of the year in my opinion and even the players said hey Sammy Sosa is gonna get the MVP word about the inside pitch. He used to chase a lot of pitches out in the strike zone. He doesn't do that nearly as much now. Well you know he's aggressive and you say to yourself Hey I'm up here I'm the big guy I've got to swing the bat. That one he couldn't do much with but his still two balls and one strike you ahead in the count. So you had him foul and free swing. Yeah. He had one foul to take there so he took Aunt Grace on that no score for that 66 Homer he didn't have a foul to take there. That was a bad pitch up at the end and not much he could do with it. What did you see the setup I mean right. Gardner misses by about three feet. Brian Johnson set up law in a way that pitches up and he and that's the problem that we see a lot of pitchers have. They're trying to make perfect pitches on McGuire and Sosa and they make mistakes and doing so trying to be curt caffeinated sound of silence just a gardener who's got a great curveball. And that was as good as you'll see. And that was his first strikeout. Good time to get it now Mark Grace. He's single to right his first time to date nobody on it into two double plays Gardner has walked one left one man on the Giants have had no hits against traction has won four and he hit a bad really coming up no school MLB at home is presented by Roman the digital health clinic for men and proud partner of major league baseball Giants nothing. Nothing. Darkness has long since settled in over Chicago. One team would go home for a long winter's rest and one good luck to you out of this game. Gone real far from deciding anything up till now. No score. Fifth inning. The Giants have had the game's only serious threat getting the bases loaded in the fourth counterpart ski tracks over there as ball on tracks all in his previous start in Milwaukee last Wednesday was breezing along. He had a seven to nothing lead and a shutout for six innings the Brewers scored four runs in the seventh against knocking him from the box and again the final the Cubs lost on the dropped fly ball by Brandt Brown eight to seven. That was a crusher way back garden one ball two strikes. We all know that Grant Brown dropped that ball that day John. But one other thing that happened in the ninth inning is that Jim Riggleman chose to walk Larry Bennett minutes and put the winning run on base and that was the run he scored when Brown dropped the ball. Jeremy Burnett scored all four first running hard and a lot of people say well was the right thing to do and it probably is but there are reasons that you don't put the winning run on base. A lot of times because things can't happen one go on for San Francisco in defense and lead off bench and heavy hitters coming up Dracula's has made some excellent pitches especially with two strikes he's been able to spot that fastball on the outside corner as he does here with Gardner and he's also been able to throw the curve ball on the outside corner so he has been able to make big pitches when he's needed them. You can see the difference in the pitchers though tracks all throwing a lot more pitches than Gardner has quite a few more tracks all through twenty nine pitches in that fourth inning but he got through it. The Giants have not scored and they do not have a hit against Harvey and his flight out and walk this ball on the stand. Have you veteran excellent outfielder can steal a base ended up being the Giants regular right fielder for the second half of last season shows but takes a ball and it has to at 0 Barry Bonds has not yet come to bat with anybody on base and neither has Jeff Kent when you talk about shutting down the Giants. That's a good way to do it. If you can pitch to them from the windup you're in a better position than trying to throw from the stretch he has walked for and hit one in the first four innings of this game. Cubs have everybody on alert tonight. Kevin Chapman who was their ace starter this year is in the bullpen if needed championing a 19 game winner. If necessary he might even be the right handed setup man for Rod. Rod Beck who threw 36 pitches yesterday and 24 the day before but they figure that they can give him an inning or that he can give them an inning if needed. It's a walk for Harvey that is what number five. By Trexler and Houston and tracksuit we'll talk as Phil Reagan and Jim Riggleman looking at the tight lipped right now as you might expect. Well one thing that the Cubs do know and that is that having had that base stolen the last time up when O'Reilly took strike three so they have to be more aware of this time than before because Harvey also knows that he can make it now before had 21 steals during the season. All right. Has during the season this is a regular season game. Richard really it is rather the third and struck out looking reason that knows a regular season game John. When the Giants clubhouse before the ballgame and they were filling out the pass list players still get free passes you do not get those in the divisional playoffs. They all yes in the world series you have to pay for those extra tickets starting tomorrow. It's a new season when Bono strikes. Now here's the situation again. If you're dusty and you want to hit and run this is the pitch to do it on. But trackside has been a little erratic for the hit and run meaning that he's missed badly with a lot of pitches like the last pitch you do not want to hit and run. When a guy is not consistently in the strike zone but if you're popular at first base and you get the hit and run you should still try to steal the base Barry Bonds on deck and then you'd like to stay out of the double play so as to give bonds a chance here with somebody on base. Well Harvey area was one sure the sign so he steps out and he's asked for it again. He talked the first base coach. Now he's getting the signs all over again. Ron what is flashing the signs for the third base coach's box. I really now stands back in one ball and no strikes the count. I don't think anything is on now when that happens. Usually a manager even if he had a sign on he will take it off one ball one strike the stands at Wrigley Field out very close to the field especially in the corners one ball one strike. The catch is the panoramic look this old ballpark capsule did here 1916 was built actually for another league the third major league that was in existence only a couple of years the Federal League so Joe. This is actually the last Federal League ballpark in existence. And the oldest in the National League and we hope that the 50 years from now we can still say the same thing because it's a great place to come but the fans here will usually refer to this as the friendly confines on edge right now. No score. Fifth Inning inside we'll go out of play in the third base side. One ball and two straight. The wind blowing in from right and blue that went all the way back into the upper deck sometimes as a manager you think about a couple of things in this situation first you say well I've got a hobby at first but really it doesn't hit in a double play. Barry Bonds is going to be able to hit in this inning if I get a job here thrown out trying to steal or hit and run and he swings and misses Barry has to lead off the next inning and you want Barry to hit with runners on if he can. So does I mean that's something you think about. I still think that you have to be aggressive but there are lots of things you have to think about well this is the count that hobby I took off on back in the third inning and actually had it stolen. But the pitcher been called strike three to a really so you predicted he's going again. I'm just for the benefit of our viewers Joe so that they might make an informed prediction pointing that out. All right. He's gone. He's running to add to the cat. I really am backing away. Again tracks all and Houston having a pitch calling debating society here. Drexel has not given up a hit. I'll is back. Well Jim Riggleman remembers how he ran in this cattle last time and surely he asked. Well tracks to make that throw a rear steps out again and looks down at Walters and says Well is he running or not. And it really is really steps out. I mean he's dead halfway over to the fungal circle that's here rather shortly. He's running two down and Barry Bonds coming up. Well we've seen how traction this pitch. Barry the first couple of times up he threw him fastball in the first time up and then a changeup away. Here's the fastball in that and he got a pitch to hit maybe a little bit up in the zone but fastball out over the middle of the plate I don't think you will see HOV here run now. I don't think he will run unless Barry gets behind in the count maybe gets two strikes or something. Then you might see him run also timber and hot this year at Wrigley Field the Giants nothing. The Cubs nothing in the face of Eric first that's another very important pitch. Now he's going to have a know that he has kissed him inside. And if you're a tracksuit truthfully you should waste one inside. Just to remind him again the count has gone to two strikes on bonds and this is a time that you know when a guy like Barry up there two strikes behind the gap can go ahead and take off. So the entire crowd on its feet now with two strikes Rodriguez gay Andy and Houston coming up still scoreless a play off for the right to win the National League wildcard berth the Giants. Nothing comes nothing as we move to the last of the fifth inning at Wrigley Field Chicago Reverend Jesse Jackson here tonight stopped by the booth to say hello to my partner Joe Morgan. He is here to help Sammy Sosa collect things and collect funds for the relief effort in Sammy's home country the Dominican Republic ravaged by the hurricane George here is Henry Rodriguez. Curveball misses from Mark Gardner When Bono strikes John on Saturday night Sammy Sosa Jose Hernandez and Henry and Henry Rodriguez went out and helped them load trucks they were going to be sent over to help the people in Dominican Republic and they had the final game yesterday. They did that on Saturday night and played yesterday afternoon and their final road game of the Season 0 3 and 0 to Rodriguez. Gary guy Eddie on day well the Reverend Jackson said that if you'd like to support the Sammy Sosa Foundation which is heading up this effort to send the relief items to the Dominican Republic you can call Wrigley Field and I'll give you the information on how to do it. I had a feeling Rodriguez was taken all the way and that went three and on the count. Well I'm not so sure that he should have been right center field having aired good job I having to hold him to a single Henry Rodriguez Paul Rodriguez along with Sammy Sosa is really your power hitters on this ballclub. And a lot of times you let a guy turn a guy loose 3 0. He actually had a better hit 3 0 than he did pitch to hit. Then he had three and won the job by Stan Harvey here to hold him to a single here's guy Eddie a grinder and do a double play his first time and one of the things you have to remember with Rodriguez he doesn't run that well. So the fact that he's on first base you know to get out if he would have gotten the walk would not have been that big a deal. Snow on the bag with Rodriguez the middle infield double play depth against guy Eddie. Two on the inside and he goes back to talk to Bruce Redding about weird Wrigley Field Chicago. I'm John Miller with Joe Morgan the Giants and the cubs in a playoff to determine which one will secure the wildcard berth in the National League Division Series when it will go to with Landon to face the Braves starting Wednesday. No score for that deep as a couple hundred twenty six and he had just been two strikes to try to get him to chase something. Watch where this pitch is right in the middle of the play bell tower. You can not make a mistake like that with no balls and two strikes on and if you hit it well the left feel it will still go out here in Wrigley Field even with the wind blowing in and that goes around about six rows deep and the Cubs have a two to nothing lead and that's the look in the dugout as they saw it on its way they were hoping and then it landed in the bleachers to relieve some of that tension for the Cubs. They have scored first and Mark Gardner Knowing he made a mistake delay because the Cubs fans got excited and they had to clean up some of the debris in the outfield. So they grant scrap to clean up the outfield so the first big hit of the game comes from the Cubs with the 40 year old Gary guy Eddie is China. Houston he hits a high fly ball but that will stay in the ballpark. Stan have a year left center and that is the first out of the fifth inning. Not only did he hit give up the home run and Grant had to wait around for two or three minutes while they cleaned up the outfield. Gary guy any with his 360 second career homerun he's just been getting big hits. I mean he just has been a tremendous addition to this club. Oh Gary has been in big game situations before. And he has been through it all over the years acquiring third baseman Fernando teams and they were out of the race anyway so which gave them 10 days to either release him or or train him and during that time the Cubs were able to secure an draw in Houston in Minnesota. Three and 2 the count of Gary guy Eddie home homer in the first game he ever played at the Metrodome with the twins and now a home is the first time he's ever played in a tiebreaker playoff spot. Number two and tracks all the pitcher coming up hasn't really been pretty for tracks somebody is retired Barry Bonds three times he's been a key four I think he's actually really frustrated. Bonds tonight strike one tracks is also pretty good hitter to 70 batting average 17 hits in 63 at bats three doubles and a home run very good at it. The Cubs have gone ahead to do nothing in the fifth inning and the Giants had to play from behind these last 10 days. Now in this time record playoff at the play from behind to and one the count to Texas two down nobody on two runs in the Cubs using their favorite weapon of the year homerun cubs. Two giants. Nothing relate. Harry Carey they've often felt has been somehow lingering over the proceedings in absentia and that although Harry is not present in body that he is in spirit and the Cubs are now leading with Harry hovering out there over Waveland Avenue to do nothing. Chicago by the way we had mentioned the story that Charlie Hays of the Giants had not been able to contact his parents down in Mississippi where Hurricane George going through the Gulf Coast we're very concerned about that and he asked us to ask them to call the ballpark if in fact they were watching. Well we have further word in that story. Here's Jeff Kent against tracks curveball for granted. They were not watching because they have no electricity in their home down there but WD AM radio in Mississippi was watching. They reach Charlie Hayes mom. She reports that everyone is fine they just don't have any electricity right now. A ball outside. They call the WD am in Mississippi they call to the ballpark here. Bob Rose giants publicity director took the call and called down to the clubhouse to tell Charlie Hayes that everybody's fine down out this Charlie. Got to be resting a little bit easier now to know that Joe and I and all of us here the ESPN sent all of our prayers and best wishes to everybody down who has been subjected to the ravages of Hurricane George and if you've been able to tune in tonight where happy to play some small part maybe taking you away for just a brief time but the harsh reality down there One ball two strikes to Kent Jewett to catch you said one right back to tracks and he's been hit by a pitch. Joe Carter on deck and then J.T. Snow Steve tracks walk five and hit a batter but he is not allowed to hit for the first time he has a lead to do nothing well Jeff Kent takes a fastball away and he goes the other way but he lines it right at the second baseman more and Danny who was positioned perfectly and not Joe Carter who was lined up to right and walked on field around toward left for of that huge trade that was made there Roberto Alomar and Carter went to Toronto Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez went to San Diego well those two runs that really help track so I mean his fastball seems to have a little more life to it here in the sixth inning and it's had the last two or three innings wanted to. Well you know I remember reading a quote after our Leiter lost the ball game for the Mets on Saturday Mets got shut out in Atlanta and he said he really felt like the way they were struggling to get runs that he was going have to be perfect not allow them to score to win that game and it affected the way he threw that tracks of those who can give up a run to and be all right. I mean he's pitched very well. He just made that one bad pitch. I mean oh and two you would think you know he's got to try to get him to fish for something or try to get guy ready to hit a ground ball at least through a sinker away or something but I know the pitch wasn't exactly what he wanted it. But you have to miss off the plate not in the middle that curve ball right there. But Carter tried to murder it. Found it straight back well can't you see Carter gets a fastball. Well it's a look of breaking ball. Actually it hangs on the inside part of the plate and he just missed it one ball two strikes to Carter Steve tracks a lot of long beach State University but he made a bad pitch and he comes back with a good pitch. I mean this splitter starts about knee high and by the time he gets to the play toss in the dirt. Joe Carter with two strikes just about has had to. He had to chase it but pitch there from tracksuit to down. And here is J.T. Snow. He has walked in granite at the first Top of the order Johnson more and Dini and Sammy Sosa coming up to nothing. MLB press presses moments presented by MasterCard all kid ourselves that hit man. That is a man by Big Josh Bell fan. Wish you a long and happy life together. Cups to change nothing. We go to the last of the sixth inning from Wrigley Field college football on Saturday. Coverage begins with College Gameday at 11:00 a.m. Eastern on ESPN. Thirty grand Wisconsin meets Indiana at noon Eastern on ESPN 2. Kentucky versus 24th right Arkansas at 6 p.m. on ESPN 2 and 12th ranked Georgia versus sixth ranked LSU at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on ESPN. Mark Gardner Lance Johnson one ball one strike to Lance was twice brand a short and Disney on deck and that Sammy Sosa do up third in the inning tutor nothing. The Cubs lead and this is probably Mark Gardner's last inning. If he can get through it without any problems because he's a third hitter for the Giants in the seventh inning and there you see. That's what that's what that 40 ounce bat will do for you. Do not have to get all of the ball. You know to hit a line drive last swings that bat well if you're the Cubs here I think you try to manufacture a run here. You want to send Lance. Well either that or you have more and Denny execute a hit and run or you go ahead. But shots with 10 steals this year more in danger. Excellent butter. Excellent hit run man. Yeah Daniel I feel like bonds are a long run gets there. Nice play by the Gold Glove outfielder. Back to first goes Johnson. And here comes Sammy Sosa. So sustains stands. He has on a check swing bounced into a double play and he has also struck down social with four home runs lifetime against Gardner he also said for against all her shyster of the giants but has not had more than four against anybody. Look like swinging for number sixty seven. Well this pitches up and out of spite going we take a look at Rodriguez and Johnstone and the Giants bullpen so sit back out of the box trying to gather his thoughts he's back in their the outfield very deep in a round toward left for the Giants so since it a lot of his home runs this year to right and right center tonight the wind blowing in from right good hustle by Johnson the air seem to fall down and didn't get much on the throw the Johnson fourth action. That's the aggressive type play that you want. And at last Johnson made it. This is also the Sammy Sosa of 1998. He will cut down on his swing and hit the ball back through the middle Mark Gardner backing up the play at third base as a Dusty Baker heads back to the mound now. And Mark Gardner has finished. If you're the Giants you cannot afford to fall any farther behind and he wants a left hander here to try to get Mark Grace out to left his coming up. Grace and Rodriguez runners at first and third one out the Cubs already leading to nothing. We'll be right back. Cubs lead to nothing. Sammy Sosa singling the center with Johnson taking third and now Rich Rodriguez the veteran left handed has come on to face Mark rays and he has not had a lot of success against Mark Grace. Grace has five for nine I guess Rodriguez with one home run Sammy Sosa at first snow on the bag with a race there you see his numbers as Joe mentioned against Rodriguez race in this game a similar ride and found out the third big spot in the game. The chance for the Cubs big cleanup hitter up there to extend their lead led the club this year with 18 steals. They don't run a whole lot of 64 steals for the whole team they've hit more home runs though than any Cubs team in history. Kind of interesting the way Mark Braves kind of decoys a lot of pitchers pitches the way he kind of walks across the plate which tells him that maybe you can come inside on him but he protects inside first and Sam kind of walked across the plate on those first two pitches you're the catcher on the pitcher. You say well I should bust him inside. But he actually wants that. I'm not so sure that he won't be swinging on this particular pitch. Mark Grace and Sammy Sosa are your big guys especially RBI man and your best hitters you let him take a half he's disciplined enough to know that he had to get a good pitch that he can drive and that was wanted he could drive but he chose not to swing it. Race looking over Tom Gamboa the third base coach leaving aside for that man manager Jim Riggleman the middle infield double play def Sosa is running for Mark Grace will put the ball in play if it's a strike and you open up a hole for him on the left side especially because he's not going to pull a lot of left handed pitchers but if he does pull it you still have the whole open first base. I think that was a perfect hit and run situation therefore Riggleman now instead of Henry Rodriguez there is Matt Minsky to come out and act as a pinch hitter. Dusty Baker has a right hander up in his bullpen but also remember that Jim Riggleman got two outstanding left handed hitters still on his bench Orlando Mason and Brad Brown. Rodriguez packing his gear while John Glenn Allen held had a pinch hit grand slam home run against the Giants earlier this year right here at Wrigley Field. In this situation a pinch hit and when Allen Hill hit a homerun run a grand slam that they choose to use Matt needs I think he doesn't want to fire all his big lumber this early in the ballgame. Johnson a third associate at second one out comes ahead to the Johnson field pulled into the corners double play depth up the middle ground strike on the outside. I think that there's a ground ball and third if it's near the back. Sally Hayes will tag third and throw the first but otherwise he's in a position where he has to go around the horn as well. He's not in a position like to come to the plate. He's playing back pretty deep and so when snow really is pulled in exactly man. Mesquite former Milwaukee Brewers Cubs now heading for another in the sixth inning and they are threatening to get more. John Johnstone the third Giants pitcher of the game right handed. He's had an excellent season for them. But yesterday in Denver he had a slight while if you're wondering maybe why dusty didn't bring him in to pitch the mesquite well. But you said had said wrapped round on the bench and those two guys have been more successful. Pinch hitting this year than Mitsui had had really not done that well as a pinch hitter this year. In the fifth inning when he hit a two run homer against Gordon That was the first scoring of the game now two more runs at home and they want more Mark race is at third base and Matt Mirsky is over at first. After a two run single as a pinch hitter had been for four twenty five. Yeah. That's not very good. And the other guys hitting well over 300 grand rounds six for twenty one in Orlando Moyer said is a guy that will always put the ball in play and he's hitting three seventy five as a pinch hitter so I guess you took the take the lesser of two evils and that's one of the reasons he left Rodriguez in the pitch to meet the huge hit from Matt. Misty one ball and two strikes. GUY THEY CHASED HIM transpo kept busy again. Rookie right had Russ or tees had been in the rotation the last couple of months warming up. Joe and we were in Seattle three years ago and the big playoff between the angels and the Mariners little heralded Louis Soho get the big hit. STEVE tracks all as you see the totals there not only leaving for nothing. The Giants have not yet had a hit against him as we go to the seventh inning. And one of the heroes of the piece for the Cubs up till now Matt Mishkin staying in the ball game to play left field after pinch hitting for Henry Rodriguez. So now the Giants as we head into the late innings after making their scintillating run down the stretch from five games out with 10 games to play to force a playoff three or four runs down with only three innings to play here at Wrigley Field and how many comebacks can one team have. Well I do things. What you have to say to yourself if you're the Giants as we have nine outs left let's use them to the best of our ability. You can't go up there and hit a three run homer of four on Homer just. We need some base runners Barry Bonds has been shut down by tracks all over three. I would say even worse than that John. He's been frustrated by the tracks Charlie Hayes founding it back. He has flagged to shadow right and walked Brian Johnson due up next. But Brent Mayne a left handed hitter has come out on that Jeff Kent over to and was hit by a pitch although he hit the ball hard in the sixth inning. Bonds is not able to make hard contact. Yes those are the two big guys 248 RBI for the two of them and they've been shut down by Steve Drexel and if you're the Giants you look ahead you're four runs down and you only have the prospect probably of them hitting one more time in this ballgame. That's the tough part. So you're going to have to do it so in the sixth inning can't get off the line. Right. Right. Tomorrow and Denise giants have not had a lead off man get on base in any inning of this game all seven of the men who have led off the innings for the Giants tonight have been retired by Steve Drexel. Brett made the pitch for Johnson made two sixty 67 for the year three homers 32 batted in I'm with it John. I don't think he really cared after he got the lead he was going to make them swing the bat but it wasn't like Roy Halladay his day yesterday in Toronto and that was I mean he had no hits no walks. I felt for him I was watching him while he started each hitter off this ending with a fastball and man gets a fastball and he lands at the right field for base in and I guess he's not pitching good enough Phil Regan goes out and gives up this first base. He's retired. He had retired like six giants in a row. Jack's going to bring a pinch hitter up here as Regan and Houston out chatting at the bat with Steve tractable Armando Rios from my side towards a Puerto Rico originally when he went to a Louisiana State University made his way through the Giants farm system got his first look in the big leagues this year and his second pension at bat he had a pinch hit Homer in L.A. The next day he came up as a pinch hitter again and again. He has played for the last four years for Cubs third base coach Tom Kemp Gamboa in the winter leagues down there in Puerto Rico and Gamboa really likes it. He likens it to a Lenny Dykstra kind of a smart clock player good hitter runs well excellent center fielder Rios has only had seven official at bats as a big league and has two home runs and two singles go play. Maynard first one out during a long one and the Cubs for the first time in the game have both been active and Matt cast a right hander. He's warming up Cubs lead for nothing. We're in the seventh inning. Lead on Bandstand. Happy Arizona day Grace is playing behind Maine at first base now not on the bag with it real set of LSU tracks a lot of long beach state both of that college world series experience like all that. But it's not like major league experience and playing in a playoff game. This is a little different a little different. The big stage the 162 pitch by the way thrown by traction in this well this fastball runs away one of the things I think that has made tractable successful tonight John is he's been just erratic enough. By that I mean the hitters can't get any rhythm on him. He is not in any type of groove or he's you know throwing a fastball in change up away. He doesn't have a pattern. He's just been a radical enough to keep the Giants hitters off balance and had them swinging a lot of pictures out of the zone if the split second pitcher came at 81 miles an hour it looked like he just turned over the fastball. He runs it away from the left handed hitter because it's considerably slower than his record. But he wasn't trying to throw It's not like a sinker but he just turns it over the ball moves away to it to the count Armando Rios he a major league get back and in amongst the spectators the wind may have helped get it there Eddie and the shortstop Hernandez gave chase Wrigley Field there has not been postseason play here for nine years. Nineteen eighty nine the last time when the Cubs and Giants met in the National League Championship Series. Cubs figure that's a long enough drought. League Championship Series 1984 they have not been to the World Series since 1945 and they've not won the World Series since 19 0 8. They lead this game four to nothing in the seventh one on one out two and to the count Rios going out after following it back out of play this is a pretty big situation for a rookie who just a September caller. Yes it is. But you know the one thing I've been impressed with with a lot of young players. I mean in the big leagues the special is that they have no fear John. I mean they feel like hey I can do it and I belong here. So I don't think like we did when I first came here I'm not nervous and afraid to add to the cap nature of the split fingered pitch and Rios the raw rookie took it out of the veterans have had a hard time taking that one on two strikes today. Interesting situation here. Mark Grace is playing behind the runner at first base. The question is do you send him you know because he can get a big lead or do you go ahead and play it straight up. Well what would you do but the other rescuers your four runs down if he hits a line drive it you know it's someone you're out at the end she was missing it was awfully close. Well tracks are very upset with the call. I mean more demonstrative than they should have been there. Well and Bruce Remington. No I don't think Bruce saw in my watch his reaction. The kitchen did bring the ball up a little bit but I think that pitch had been called a strike at the time. I mean look at track sales reaction. But again I don't think Bruce Fleming saw him well they're going to take him out anyway Jim Riggleman stopping with Bruce Remick as he heads out to the mound tracks close up around a hundred twenty pitches anyway two men on one man out and Mac Karcher will be brought it from the bullpen as part of a double switch there's Matt Castner that came over from across town he's been with the White Sox well and was acquired on July twenty ninth for a minor league pitcher he inherits two base runners with one out. You're looking at the statistics combined between the White Sox and the Cubs had a five point one five. All right. Why would the White Sox set out there rather than Brandt Brown Yes go on strike. His flight out and transport basket tracks around a hundred twenty one pitches only one hit allowed in six and a third innings and he did the job I mean he kept his team in the ballgame gave them an opportunity to go ahead toward the crowd and he got over there quickly enough that he then he gets there quickly that's the key he loves he fires the wall and then he actually can reach back to make the catch I think here I thought the win was going to push that ball into the seat well sort of he said I'm in Orlando he starts to leap into the seats after it and has to reach back for it now Sean Dempster the former captain and the Dutchman primarily been used back in a pinch and Dusty Baker pitches gotten the pitches that have not hit him yep that's the point I mean they've had some pitches to hit and this ballgame that just have not been able to do it when they found those pitches off tracks always came back and made good pitches and retire them the Wrigley Field faithful on their feet Barry Bonds would be like blah blah blah blah more like the pitch maybe Gardner intended to throw and he had a two how guy on the fifth and you're right Gardner made all the pitches till he got to that one to count and then he made a mistake that he hit a two run homer to put the Cubs ahead at eight men on base but they have only had one hit and not being able to knock anybody in Houston again the top of the crunch time in Houston has had to battle with his own pitches tonight downfield is bunched up tortured by shot he saw two in the dirt here since getting ahead of him giants you need a bolt of lightning near you especially they need something anything get bonds with men on base and immediately Jim Riggleman comes out Felix or any of the left who is coming on to face Barry Bonds. There is the 22 year old left hander Felix already. I'll bet I left him with a lot of experience three years with the Florida Marlins and it was quiet at the end of July from Florida and the deal that sent Cavanaugh among others to Florida to capture former third baseman. He pitched in four games in the World Series last year against Cleveland and never gave up a run two hits in five and a third and it's pitched he's never given up a hit to this man Barry Bonds who he will face with three men Matt effort. Well it's not imperative that Barry try to go for a home run. He just needs to get a base hit maybe find the gap. I think it's imperative for Barry Bonds to make sure that he gets a good pitch to hit. Pop it up okay and make sure you get a pitch to hit receiver if he hits a single or whatever. Jeff Kent the RBI leader for the club is on that claiming he thinks the line in the pitch has been getting close. Barry helped Barry also helped tracks allowed his last time up chasing two fastballs up and out of the strike zone. He has struck out Brandon the third and found a third has not gotten the ball out of the infield tonight. He had a guest singer perform those functions in memory of Harry as a tribute to Harry tonight Bill Murray the one game winner take all play off the Cubs waiting for nothing and Barry Bonds again well actually got a pretty good pitch to hit that pitch was not down in a way the other ones were bonds. As I said he's been kind of frustrated all night. Pitches just a little bit out of his zone he's swung at some and Bruce thrumming has called the other one so he's been in a tough situation. Don't forget that tomorrow the division series will begin in three different series. He has been one of the first two games for the Red Sox in the Jake. Pedro Martinez and Sharon Wright or rather a dad Jared right and then that's one block and ESPN fourth block and ESPN Randy Johnson and Kevin Brown the Padres and Astros. And at 8:00 Eastern on the Fox Network tomorrow night the Rangers had the big ball party in the wrong. And the winner of this game in Atlanta at four o'clock the Braves first game in the game two of the Rangers Yankees on NBC on Wednesday night at 8:00 Eastern decided to loan you out to NBC that night Joe. Here here is Rush Hour teams with five and six right to try to go for under his right. This one here's Jose Hernandez. He has walked and struck down guitar swing as he did. For nothing. Chicago leading game number one hundred sixty three off the outside. One ball one strike the transport van is busy. Left handed. Alvin to the right hand a fully automatic on the right. Gary Gary a two run homer in the fifth and he's talking with his fellow RBI man of the night. That Misty had to run pinch hit single in the six and each time they won in the final game of the playoff tiebreak in the Bobby Thompson of course at the nineteen sixty two they were at Dodger Stadium training for two with the night and scored four runs on only two hits to end up being the Dodgers 64 in their franchise history been in this situation before I don't see anybody out there who played in either one of those series with fastball from Marty's right up under the hands was the toughest pitcher thing in the world he hit fastball good fastball under the hands I to the count to Orlando miss a long time with the Pittsburgh Pirates time was granted. I'm a little surprised at that because our team was almost starting his motion to the plate when Mossad backed out of the box and while he was requesting that time out he backed out before actually he received it from Bruce Fleming on ball two strikes to Mir said not to go back out to play One ball two strikes out in Waveland Avenue chemical Penn by the way is also busy I think the other things right there I don't think the seventh game of the World Series is there's nothing to match that but I think that the formality of a five game series or a three game series but I mean even a battleship even you made the world's half these guys if they lose they don't make it in they go home the seventh game of the World Series is a little different I played in seventh game of the World Series I played in the Cup playoff before too but well I have to check your head. I sat at the game of the World Series and that's that's the ultimate but for a lot I agree with you when you get to you know when you get to the final game of any any series. I mean that's the plan a hundred sixty two games and get this close and then nothing. Right and react quickly. That was really hit hard when I was hit very hard just outside the runners going and he just rips it just foul. Remember it doesn't have to hit fair. Just go over the you know down the line there just has to go to the corner the bag thirty nine thousand five hundred fifty six the official pay the tenants does not exceed all the rights first tried to get it under the hands of board said he did it a couple of times and they continue to pitch inside man. Now said he's turning on everything play out like this. It's either they forget you or even worse first playoff ever. Nineteen forty six the Dodgers and the Cardinals forty eight. The Red Sox and Cleveland the first American League playoff even won it you've got to be a good feeling to be able a backup on a ball and have good enough hands to grab it like this. It's in the he starts and now he backs up. Now the ball jumps that you've got to have great hands to be able to make a play like that and J.T. of course does have great hands and that's why he's won Gold Gloves in both leagues. Nice play and as our team makes the put out there that's his final play of the game Dusty Baker going to the bullpen for Alvin Norman a left hander facing the lefties Johnson and more indeed for nothing. Cubs will be back this Alvin Mormon a left handed for the Giants down with a run over a third and two down in the seventh inning and the left had a better glance. Johnson coming into Mormon was a quiet from the Cleveland Indians to the training mind. The other 10 Steve read for the year is not pitched much for the Giants and they pulled hamstring put him on the disabled list for a long while. The Giants are running out of outs and Kevin Chapman is coming in to pitch Ken Carter at St. Louis 19 wins for the year as a starter is on in relief this is a unique situation Joey made tap and is used to being a starter. I mean look you can warm up and be ready to pitch but mentally are you ready to pitch these to get these six outs because that's basically what they have left and they use Rod Beck a lot in the last three days so I don't know. He's going to be available to come in and Pittsburgh in the ninth inning. His army does Japanese works. The one thing that you have if your Kevin tapping is you have that good sinker and you say well if I could just keep the ball in the ballpark keep it on the ground maybe I can get a little help from my friends my infielders what's happening is making his two hundred seventy nine major league appearance and it's only the seventh time that he's worked in relief and then other one of the Cubs regular starters is now warming up in the bullpen behind him. Joe Carter the hitter what's happening with a win tonight would have been set up nicely to go on Wednesday and at I suppose it still could. I was gonna say probably still. If they need one right. My clerk who made thirty three scar tissue at this point did not have a whole lot of confidence in his bullpen as we saw yesterday in Houston. Except for that man Ron Beck and I prefer I'm sure not to use Beck today. Yeah but Beck is a warrior. If he if they want him to take the ball He'll take the ball and go out there I guarantee you two and one Crocker found out to play two balls two strikes bonds 0 4 for Kent 0 4 3. Carter 0 4 2 with the war. Snow 0 4 2 with a walk. Hayes over 2 with a walk. The number is 3 through 7 hitters. They've just been shut down by the Cubs tonight. Good job by Hernandez. He's takes a peek at Joe Carter to see how far he's down the line. Now he gloves it with his gloved hand then he knows he has time to make the transfer. He didn't have to really hurry. He stole a peek at Joe Carter as he was going down the line to die. Nobody on and J.T. Snow for two of the war high and deep into right center. So so quickly back all the way back to the war. Can't get an inch off the ivy so easily makes it the third because that ball was hit so high. It stayed in the ballpark because he he definitely hit it well enough to get it out of here. But the win the higher you hit it the more the win is going to have an effect on it. Just knocked it down. Sosa almost caught it. When the strong wind has been blowing in from right all night. If anything right now might be more of a crosswind across in from right and toward the left. And it did push it a little bit towards right center field and away from Sosa. You saw so sit back on the wall and that started it. Move right along the wall for a while. So a triple the snow that's his first trip out of the year with Charlie. Hayes is up there you see Sammy Sosa running along the wall he thought he had it gauged and the wind kept pushing it toward left field. And he ran over and finally made his stab at it Charlie Haden was flying the shadow right walked and lined out the second for nothing. Cubs giants have only four outs of life left and one that was actually look like a pretty good pitch for Charlie Hayes to hit fastball but it was was a singer but it wasn't down and the wind is starting to shift a little bit more towards left field MLB at home is presented by Roman the digital health clinic for men and proud partner of Major League Baseball but a lot of waiting till next year. If you're a Cubs fan they're leaving next year. Now at least a trip to the postseason now and Mormon taking his final warmups the Giants trail the Cubs for nothing. They've been Mickey Warren Beatty and then Sammy Sosa some Mormons likely only interface the that was a year where the Phillies were probably the third best team in the National League but at the time you need to play the best. They played the best and they beat Atlanta in the the championship series to go on to the World Series. To the war by the Giants and an incredible pennant race the more endangered Sammy Sosa on deck. John I read an article the other day and it was a great quote about Sammy Sosa he said a lot of players make 10 million dollars and try to figure out how to spend it. He said then our guys like Sammy Sosa would make 10 million dollars and try to figure out how to earn it. And they just love to play the game. And that's Sammy Sosa Jack's gonna make a double switch and was a massive who has been warming up in the bullpen all this time. It's going to come on the face so. Eighth inning for nothing. Cubs Sosa coming up the cubs are leaving for nothing. At stake a spot against Atlanta and the National League Division Series. This was a massive new pitcher for the Giants. His numbers overall with Cleveland and now the San Francisco and also a new third baseman has come on for the Giants. Bill Miller. He'll hit in the ninth spot and be do up second in the ninth inning for San Francisco and of course Mason has come on to face Sammy Sosa. Sixty six home runs Sosa with one hundred fifty eight run bad runs batted in one more than one Gonzalez said the Texas Rangers talked about all I care about as a cup winner and to be honest with was skeptical about that. Not that he didn't care about the Cubs. Getting one chance in a million to break Roger Maris his record and that should be on your mind as well. But I tell you what I've seen in the last couple of weeks a lot of instances where he put the team in front of his individual goals because I've seen him where he's had counts where he could go for it. The home runs and he wouldn't he would take a single right field to drive in Iran or do whatever the team needed rather than going for the win Sammy Sosa tells you that he is really concerned about the Cubs winning. You can believe you're right. That could have been number 67 about Sammy Mason made a good pitch away and he just flips it down the right feel like Sosa to perform. Let's take a look at this pitch by the way and look at that and just kind of stays flat for a little bit and just uses man's the way that pitch was away from him he didn't try to pull it just gets a base hit to right field that's the difference between hitting two sixty and three hundred and you can hit those tough pitches and go the other way in the record book the one number you'll be listed McGuire with 70 he pulls the ball down on you like that I mean J.T. Snow at that had no chance we'll see how close he is I don't know why was it so close unless he was expecting a month and I can understand that thirty nine double of the year for Mark Grace not Kevin Chapman he is going to stay up and bat for himself. The infield is in for the Giants has not been throwing since the Cubs came to back Chapman is hitting 135 for the year the Cubs three and four hit his Joe the Giants big guys have been shut down for the Cubs. Sosa and Grace have had four hits in seven at bats plus a walk let me hit that's telling me that he's definitely going to pitch for you in the ninth inning. Rod Beck and Terry Mulholland have both gotten up in the Cubs bullpen. With their one final crushing blow on the Giants it's for nothing right now beautiful fastball near the outside corner. That's what I've seen a lot of good pitches made tonight by pitchers in this ballgame it's on to the guy Eddie county had hit the home run with no ball and two strikes and hit a home run in the fifth inning. They make sure that they waste this one just a bit outside one ball two strikes. Tyler Houston a left handed hitter would be next for nothing. Chicago last of the year Sosa and third grace at second they got a pitch to hit. Well maybe they don't think he can handle a fastball. Came back and at the rooftop here at Wrigley Field just above us. Sosa at third base rates at second. Ready to go on anything with two down Mason. Stay with the hard stuff and still cheering him on from the stands. His wife Donna Derek guy Eddie is from this part of the country where the cardinals told him they were going to kind of lose the one team he really wanted to go to was the Cubs to be close to home. Cubs get to win the fifth from the guy Eddie Homer to win the sixth and the mat Minsky pinch hitting. Those have been the only run to the game for the Giants and dusty Baker frustration. They've left Barry Bonds also for not getting the ball out of the infield to play Brett made from not Brett making that stop it and it bounces to the backstop and also comes in it is finding that the Cubs do and to the guy in the race at Third it is finding nothing that comes as we go to the ninth inning. Now they're getting ready to celebrate here at Wrigley Field tomorrow. Baseball's divisional series will begin. Pedro Martinez in the Red Sox against Jared right in the Indians and one on ESPN that Kevin Brown or Randy Jackson at the acted on at four on ESPN. Then the Yanks and the Rangers Stottlemeyer versus Well eight o'clock eastern on the Fox network. That's tomorrow on ESPN. The first two games and then FOX Now Kevin Chapman he tried to wrap this one up and the Giants have main Miller and the having you do up Dunstan fourth and bonds not till fifth. I have to get two men on to get bonds up there. That's a first ball swinging. And he is two for two in this one one get tiebreaker for the wildcard berth in the National League Division Series. The Giants and the Cubs and the Cubs are leading five to nothing as we go to tonight inning Sammy Sosa. A couple of hits and a couple of runs tonight but no homers the Giants down to their final three on SportsCenter follows the game with Kenny Mayne and Dan Patrick in the dirt saved by Houston main has to hold export said it by the window. Have interviews and postgame coverage from Wrigley Field. So stay tuned for that the Giants in their third tiebreaker playoff. They won both of them the previous ones fifty one at sixty two trailing in the ninth inning but they were never this far behind and were never this far away from home. Larry he played in both the Willie Mays was on deck in 1951. He was a rookie when Bobby Thompson hit the famous three run homer against Ralph Branca Bill Miller. One ball one strike. Up the middle. That's a basic Mulholland and back then warming up in the bullpen the same two through yesterday one on one went eight innings yesterday and back two and two thirds out of the bullpen and Riggleman is headed to the mound interesting decision here. You know Beck has pitched a lot in the last couple of games and Mulholland pitched seven yesterday and they're bringing in the left hander. He's going to go tomorrow there is Terry Moran. Yesterday he pitched evenings at Wrigley the Amsterdam he saw one hundred twenty one pitches yesterday pitched his heart out. He pitched great yesterday couldn't stop them a couple of bloopers that really hurt them. But I mean he has pitched in the past on most of the year's picks out of the bullpen so he has pitched on consecutive days but not after pitching eight innings he inherits rent nine the run of the third. And Bill Miller the ultimate at first in the batter stand having a switch hitter last year the Giants had a huge two game series late in September at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers. They needed really to win both of them and they did the second one was started it will be. It was Mulholland against the Dodgers and he pitched a very strong game and Rod Beck hit three innings in relief that day got the win. He had a whole bullpen book packed full of guys who haven't pitched in two or three days. I mean this doesn't work we'll be talking about gee Mark and other decisions that didn't go well. Well then having done wasting time. First pitch fastball and a report the left field for base hit and that gets the guy's first run and then that run that the top got the first in the through 36 pitches yesterday and twenty four the day before since they acquired burns their lineup to the they've averaged over six runs a game the last two months Bristow has been hurting with a bad knee and has not played the last few but you can see why he's in there now. He said before the game he was 90 percent he has faced in quite a bit trying to curb it and it just wasn't there for him. One ball two strikes Barry Bonds the man on deck lifted the hitter has also had quite a great deal of success against Jerry Miller. That's why I say they don't have anyone else down the bullpen another left hander swinging at anything close here with two strikes. Well that was a good pitch as far as Mulholland is concerned because wasn't a lot Burt could do with it to a to the specter of this seven to nothing lead that disappeared into a loss on Wednesday in Milwaukee Berkes has done a good job of supporting him and Mulholland continues to throw strikes. This will be the ninth pitch from Mulholland to Ellis Burks which had a two or three different tours of duty as a giant joint to the camp and it's gone former if they wanted him to he could pitch every day Barry Bonds who might not have even batted in this inning. Not only will bat but he is the possible tying run even though it was a five run deficit that face the Giants when the inning stuck. And not only that he's had a lot of success against Terry Mulholland. He's 14 for forty six with six home runs a pinch runner will go in at first Ray Sanchez a former cop. Miller a third year at Second and again bonds does not need to go home runs out Jeff Qantas on deck. They have nobody out Sanjay or Barry at the ball hard. He just didn't get it up or down. Now the right handed bat batting kept coming up and Riggleman is going out he's going to make another change apparently. Fastball right in the middle of a play. And Bonds hits it hard. He just didn't get it up in the air. In their pennant race with Atlanta I mean seemed like he pitched every day in September that year and that's not far from the truth. And there's the man who's coming into face Jeff Kent. They were teammates last year until this season right. Beckett never pitched for anybody in the big leagues. Now back who had his first blown save this year as a cub after a strong has had 50 saves for the year with the fifth pitcher in history to reach that level. But now back is also being asked to do two and two thirds innings yesterday and every pitching through 36 pitches he pitched the ninth inning Saturday. Twenty fourth pitches and here is right back again. And sometimes have been said about right it's not his pitches that he gets hit that with so much sometimes Jeff Kent has been swinging the bat very well. And we'll see what Rod Beck has left coming in for the third straight day and Joe Carter is on deck Jeff Kent is the tying run and as I said before the wind has shifted and wind is blowing out a little bit toward left field and Kent who yesterday after the Giants had blown their own seven to nothing lead in Denver and behind him launched a home run in the battle. This must be a bitter one. I think that was a fastball from the way released it looked like a fastball that is well below even where Rod has been strong. I mean he's been up consistently 88 two on two in one. Well they've got to get their bullpen and this is interesting. No one throwing in the cup bullpen following yesterday's ballgame alone has started and I felt like he was only going to use Mulholland and back yesterday and that looks like what he's going to do here in the ninth inning. To check in on the kids in those first two pitches well with that first fastball was 80 miles an hour and that one was seventy five. Do you see Dustin beggars a man. He had a pitch to hit that was up which is the kind of ball you're going to get in there. Look at that and man he just misses the bass right back. He will come after you even though he knows he doesn't have his best stuff. He's a bad man. He's a competitive Cubs limping to the finish worry you're right back with very little after this apparent back needed to have one good pitch. And he makes the good pitch he gets the ground ball Sanchez has the back up at the top hop he feeds Lauren Danny but right there on top of it Sanchez. Good job by Sanchez. He makes him throw the ball away here at the ballpark taking care of the intruder. We're talking about Joe Carter in a big spot. This was 1993 game six of the world. Now the two well that was Carter five years ago and seen that long and not Carter and what could be his final at bat. He will retire when this season is over and he himself could well help determine whether or not it is it is it final it back to down and getting it right back three runs in for the Giants it is 5 3 and now he heads up the night of June. Well that was a waste pitch and it was up. He was just trying to move him off the plate. I don't think he's going to try to get Joe Carter out with a fastball. I think he wants to get him out with a splitter or a slider right back needing one shade more to put the Cubs in the playoffs. He faces the only other team he's ever pitched with in the big leagues to try and put them there. John that was interesting right. That was a splitter but he can't get up on top with the splitter. I mean he threw that ball like three quarters almost sad. He can't get on top to throw that you get the good movement on the splitter. J.T. Snow would be next to it on Decatur. He is also again when they get to the 1998 Cubs team movie be so many things planned for the first a few of those things certainly on the list to be something to do with Sammy Sosa and bring them in with two separate Giants against the Giants. And they had just really enough left to go back to win a hard but into an out. Right. That was a bad pitch over 80 miles but the bank had enough to get both camps in Jordan I got Sammy to other RBI man in the game and John maybe it's only fitting that Sammy Sosa goes to the playoffs because Mark McGuire is not going to be there and he at least has done so much for the game. Sure then maybe it's only fitting that he's there. All right well there he is with Carlos Diaz Carlos. Well Sammy Sosa is here he's he's putting on his shirt that he's been waiting to put on all season long. He thought he'd be putting on the shirt after winning sixty two games but it turned out to be one hundred and sixty three. Sammy you said all season long that all you wanted to do was make the playoffs. Now you are in the playoffs. How do you feel. I feel great. He's been unbelievable. Well you alone with a year that I've been having but you know never thinking about it until today. I mean today tonight is something that I'm never going to forget in my life. Oh my team he was there with me. I was there for four to them. We're going to give him a nice one to win. I want to go out and celebrate with the people in Chicago who you came in and you said you predicted that. You said you'd be here. This is another premonition that you had. Yeah I think so I mean you know it's been unbelievable. And tonight I trust missing Reagan one and again that I'm never going to forget about it can you get her game. Everybody get to celebrate. Well quite quite fitting that with you at sixty six home runs this race is now officially over you have sixty six home runs. Now you can look back. How do you feel about 60. But you know the the way he's the man that killed the home run. But they're gonna look to me to get tomorrow. You know that Mark. You are number one. Number two I love you. This has been. I'm going to forget it whatever happened I don't think it will underpin this for me man had to go. I'm going to play. Well Jordan's his music right here in the clubhouse. Let's head back at the edge. Sammy Sosa. Well Wendy McGuire wins the homerun chase has the home run record. Sammy Sosa is heading into the postseason and probably has the MVP of the National League right back the warrior. Yes he did for the Giants for so many years somehow finding a way to get it done his 50 first say the Giants. This part of their history a great run in the ninth inning. This time they felt a little bit short.

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Length: 196min 26sec (11786 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 23 2020