Cubs 2001 Season-Game 107
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Padres 4, Cubs 3
- WP: Chuck McElory (2-2)
- LP: Jeff Fassero (4-3)
- Save: Trevor Hoffman (26)
August 2nd, 2001
Qualcomm Stadium
This game marked the first of three bone-crushing, heartbreak losses that the Cubs would endure during the last two months of the season, the first time since the early '70s that they had legitimately contended for playoff contention but didn't finish victorious. The other two losses would occur in Florida and Cincinnati.
The Setup
Two days earlier, the Cubs had entered this three-game series with San Diego in first place in the National League Central by 4 1/2 games, with a 61-43 record. After taking the first game of the series 7-3, the Cubs proceeded to blow a 3-1 lead in the seventh inning of the second game. The calendar had now turned to August, the Cubs still had a 4 1/2 game over Houston, and were looking to take the rubber match. Cubs' starter Jason Bere was to face off against Junior Herndon, who was making his major-league debut.
First Five Innings: Pitchers Duel
The Cubs let Herndon off the hook when they loaded the bases with one out in the second inning but didn't score. Otherwise, the rookie pitched smoothly through the first five innings.
Bere, meanwhile, was filthy. In what was probably his best start of the entire season, Bere recorded six strikeouts the first time through the lineup. After five innings, Bere had recorded nine strikeouts, while giving up two hits and two walks.
Second Half
The Cubs finally broke through on Herndon in the top of the 6th inning. The recently-acquired Fred McGriff hit a two-run homerun with one out in the inning. Bere went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth and the Cubs headed into the final 1/3 of the game with a 2-0 lead and Bere in command.
In the seventh, Bere pitched around a one-out single to Bubba Trammel to keep San Diego off the board.
In the top of the eighth, McGriff again delivered, driving home Sammy Sosa with a two-out RBI single to stretch the Cubs lead to 3-0.
Disaster
Even though Bere had only thrown 106 pitches, had retired 21 of the 26 batters he had faced, and had hit for himself in the top of the seventh inning, Cubs manager Don Baylor elected to pull him in favor of Jeff Fassero, who had done yoeman's work out of the bullpen in the early part of the season but by early August had been starting to look more hittable.
Back-to-back singles by D'Angelo Jimenez and ex-Cub Alex Arias brought the tying run to the plate in Rickey Henderson. Fassero, however, managed to strike out Henderson. Mark Kotsay then drew a walk from Fassero which loaded the bases for Ryan Klesko.
Klesko roped an inside fastball from Fassero over the right field wall for a lead-changing grand slam. While Kyle Farnsworth relieved Fassero and got out of the inning without any more runs crossing the plate, the damage had been done.
In the Cubs' half of the ninth inning, the first two batters were retired by San Diego reliever Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman then walked Matt Stairs, putting the tying run on with two outs in the ninth. However, any chance the Cubs had at a rally were snuffed out when Todd Hundley, pinch-hitting for Farnsworth, struck out to end the game.
Postscript
The crushing defeat, when combined with Houston's come-from-behind victory over New York, left the Cubs with only a 3 1/2 game lead. Indeed, they would not climb as high as a four-and-a-half game lead for the rest of the season. Less than two weeks after this game, after a 9-5 loss in Houston, the Cubs would fall out of first place for the first time since May 25th. Though they climbed back into first place the next day, they fell out of first place for good on August 18th.
Trivia & Miscellany
The winning pitcher for San Diego was Former Cub Chuck McElroy who had been acquired, along with Bob Scanlan for reliever Mitch Williams prior to the 1991 season. Williams would gain fame for the series-ending home run he served up to another former Cub Joe Carter in the 1993 World Series. Carter--who was splitting color commentary duties with Dave Otto on Cubs TV broadcasts during the 2001 and 2002 seasons--was in attendance at the game as a spectator. Third base cameras, when filming a left-handed hitting batter, could capture Carter sitting with the pitcher for whom he was traded by the Cubs in '84, Rick Sutcliffe.
External Links
Game information courtesy of Retrosheet
