Cubs 1989 Season-Game 142
From Sports Library
Contents |
Cubs 3, Cardinals 2
- WP: Paul Assenmacher (3-3)
- LP: Ken Dayley (3-2)
September 9, 1989
Wrigley Field
This late-season matchup between the Cubs and Cardinals was a battle for first place. The Cubs rallied late to tie the game before winning in extra innings. It is considered one of the more sgnificant victories for the club en route to their second Eastern Division crown in 6 years.
The Setup
The Cubs had been in sole possession of first place in the National League East since August 7th, but had been unable to pull away from the pack. Their biggest lead up to this point had been 4 1/2 games on August 17th. In addition to the Cardinals, the Mets and Expos were also in the mix for the NL East crown in 1989 in one of the most competitve races in the division's history. The day before this game, in the opener of this 3-game, weekend series, the Cubs had blown a 7-1 lead to the Cardinals and lost 11-8. Entering this game, the Cubs lead was down to only 1/2 game.
Stranded Opportunities Through 5
The matchup pitted Rick Sutcliffe against notorious Cub Killer Jose DeLeon. While DeLeon was a struggling, hard-luck pitcher most of his career, in 1989 he was in the midst of his finest season as a major leaguer, eventually finishing the season with a 16-12 record.
After Sutcliffe had wiggled out of a bases loaded jam in the top of the first inning, DeLeon allowed a run in the bottom of the frame when a squeeze bunt by Cub rookie Dwight Smith scored fellow rookie Jerome Walton who had started the game with a single and a stolen base before Ryne Sandberg moved him over to third with a groundout.
Though neither team would score for the next several innings, it was not due to dominance by the opposing pitcher, as both DeLeon and Sutcliffe pitched in and out of trouble all day. DeLeon survived a one-out triple by Cubs third baseman Vance Law in the second, and Sutcliffe followed that by pitching around a one-out triple to St. Louis' Ozzie Smith in the top of the third.
DeLeon stranded two runners on base in both the third and fourth inning, and Sutcliffe survived a leadoff single by Tony Pena in the 5th.
The Cubs inabilty to capitalize on any of their scoring opportunities would eventually come back to haunt them. After 5 innings, the Cubs still held a precarious 1-0, but that was about to change.
Cardinals Break Through
After retiring leadoff hitter Milt Thompson to lead off the sixth, Sutcliffe served up a single to Pedro Guerrerro. Sutcliffe looked like he was going to escape the inning after he struck Terry Pendleton for the second out, but then Tom Brunansky singled, scoring Guerrerro, who had advanced to second base on a wild pitch during the Pendleton at-bat. The game was tied 1-1.
While Jose Oquendo was batting, Brunansky--not known as a fast runner--stole second base. Brunansky's move paid off when Oquendo poked a single through the right side. Brunansky scored and the Cardinals led 2-1.
The 37,633 in attendance at Wrigley Field felt the wind go out of their team's sails. The day was already overcast and drizzly, and suddenly it seemed that the home team was about to relinquish first place for the first time in nearly seven weeks.
Cubs Attempt At Answering Turns To Frustration
Cub second-year first baseman Mark Grace led off the bottom of the 6th with a walk. After Andre Dawson popped out, Grace tried to take a page out of Brunansky's book by making a surprising steal attempt of second base, putting himself into scoring position. Instead, Grace was gunned down by Pena. The move proved damaging, as Law followed up the caught stealing by also drawing a walk, and then Shawon Dunston singled to right field. Dunston's single would have re-tied the game had Grace still been on base. Instead, the Cubs' rally died when Marvell Wynne flied out to end the inning.
The Final 3 Innings of Regulation
Sutcliffe stayed in the game for the seventh and kept the Cubs within a run by going 1-2-3. In the bottom of the seventh, the Cubs went 1-2-3 for only the second time all day. Even though the Cubs had baserunners in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th innings, they only had one run to show for it.
Cub reliever Les Lancaster relieved Sutcliffe in the 8th inning, and retired Ozzie Smith on a deep flyout. The next hitter, Milt Thompson doubled, and that was followed up by a walk to Guerrero. St. Louis was threatening to tack on a valuable insurance run. Cubs manager Don Zimmer pulled Lancaster for Steve Wilson. The left-handed Wilson retired the switch-hitting Pendleton on a popup and Zimmer went to his bullpen one more time for the right-handed Jeff Pico to face Brunansky. Pico struck Brunansky out and the Cubs managed to keep the score at 2-1.
St. Louis manager Whitey Herzog left DeLeon to start the 8th inning. However, after a leadoff single to Dwight Smith, a play in which Smith advanced to second when Brunansky had trouble fielding the ball, Herzog went to his bullpen. Former Cub Frank DiPino, who would eventually finish the season with a 9-0 record and a 2.45 ERA, came in to face Mark Grace, with whom DiPino had brawled earlier in the season during a game at Busch Stadium. This time, DiPino got the better of Grace, striking him out. DiPino was replaced by Dan Quisenberry, a right-handed submariner who came in to face the right-handed hitting Dawson. Dawson grounded out. Though Smith moved to the third base on the play, the feeling at Wrigley Field was that the Cubs were--again--wasting another valuable scoring opportunity, as Grace and Dawson--solid hitters in the middle of the Cubs lineup-- offered the best hope at tying the game.
After Dawson's groundout, Luis Salazar came to the plate. Salazar, who had been acquired by the Cubs right before September 1st, was inserted into the game after Vance Law had earlier been lifted for a pinch-runner. Salazar worked the count on Quisenberry before lining a single to left field. Smith walked home with the tying run. The fans, who had been growing accustomed all afternoon to the Cubs wasting scoring chances--came alive under the gray sky and began to rock the ballpark.
Dunston followed up Salazar's clutch by flying out to end the inning.
Pico, who had recorded the huge strikeout of Brunanksy to end the 8th inning and strand two runners in the process, went 1-2-3 in the top of the ninth, giving the Cubs a chance to walk off with the victory.
After a Rick Wrona popout to start the inning, Cub utility man Domingo Ramos drew a walk from Ken Dayley who had relieved Quisenberry in the 8th inning after the Salazar RBI single. Ramos moved to second on a Walton groundout. With All-Star Ryne Sandberg stepping to the plate with the winning run at second base, Herzog elected to put Sandberg on the open base at first with an intentional walk. Dayley, a southpaw, then faced the left-handed hitting Smith, who had played a big role in another noteworthy Cubs victory a few weeks earlier. This time, however, Smith flied out to left field to end the inning.
After 9 innings, the game was tied at 2 and first place in the National League East was up for grabs.
Extra Innings
Recently-acquired Cubs southpaw Paul Assenmacher came in to the tie game in the 10th inning. Assenmacher had little trouble dispensing the Cardinals, retiring Vince Coleman, Ozzie Smith and Milt Thompson in order.
In the bottom of the 10th, Mark Grace led off against Dayley, who was still in the game after entering the game with two outs, by grounding out. Dawson came up next and Dayley, pitching carefully to the Hawk, ended up walking the Cubs slugger.
Salazar came up to the plate with the winning run on first base. He proceeded to lace a double down the left-field. Dawson--who been a fleet-footed player before knee injuries slowed him down and, in fact, was in the midst of his most injury-plagued season as a Cub-- got the green light coming around third base. Dawson kept chugging and eventually beat the relay throw home. As Dawson slapped the plate, he was mobbed by teammates--the first of whom was on-deck hitter Dunston, a young player whom Dawson had taken under his wing. Wrigley Field was pandemonium, as the Cubs had won the game in thrilling fashion, 3-2.
Postscript
The Cubs were four outs away from falling out first place for the first time since August 4th. Thanks to Salazar's heroics, they were able to take 1 1/2 lead in the division instead. After taking the rubber match from St. Louis Cardinals the following day the Cubs lead was 2.5 games. Their lead would not be that low the rest of the season.
This game served as a catalyst for the Cubs. Although they had been in first place for nearly seven weeks, a 7-13 stretch from August 18th until this game had left them vulnerable. Even after a thrilling comeback from a 9-0 deficit to Houston eleven days earlier, the Cubs failed to get on a roll, going 3-6 after that game. However, this victory against the Cardinals finally proved to be the spark that propelled the Cubs to the division crown, as they followed up the rubber match victory the next day by sweeping the Expos at home. The sweep essentially eliminated Montreal from the race. After winning the first game of a 3-game set in Pittsburgh against the Pirates the following Friday the Cubs' winning streak--which began with this game--had reached six, and their lead was 5 1/2 games. The Cubs finished the season 6 games ahead of the Mets and seven ahead of the Cardinals.
External Links
Game information courtesy of Retrosheet
