As mentioned in this FanShot, today is the 25th anniversary of the clinching of the Cubs' first title of any kind in 39 years, the 1984 NL East championship. It happened in Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium in front of a crowd announced as 5,472, but it sounded more like 50,000 -- almost all rooting for the Cubs. I know, because I was one of them. Some friends of mine and I paid an usher $10 to let us sit six rows behind the Cubs dugout, where we saw (and congratulated) Dallas Green on his way from the dugout to sit in one of the suites.
Here's the boxscore from that game, which was not only the clincher, but Rick Sutcliffe's 20th win of the season (capping his 16-1 run as a Cub, it was his final regular season start). He threw a complete game and allowed only two hits and a run, striking out nine. What many people don't remember about the two hits -- but I do -- is how close those hits came to being outs. Both hits were by Pirates outfielder Joe Orsulak. The first was a sharp grounder down the 1B line in the third inning that just eluded Leon Durham's glove. It quickly went into the RF corner and Orsulak, then a 22-year-old September callup with good speed, legged out a triple. He later scored on a groundout.
Orsulak came up in the sixth inning with two out and laid down a perfect bunt (hard to do on that old Astroturf field) and beat it out for a single. He was promptly picked off; Sutcliffe thus came within a couple of heartbeats of throwing a perfect game. Orsulak also thus wound up being the final out of the game, a called strikeout, setting off a celebration among the Cubs fans in Pittsburgh.
Wonderful memories. If only we could have repeated them this year. Also, Bruce Levine recounts his memories of being there as a reporter and has this cogent observation on Ryne Sandberg:
Veteran shortstop Larry Bowa and future Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg did what they always did before a game, taking 75 ground balls from coach John Vukovich. It was a routine that Sandberg said helped solidify his work ethic, one that he teaches today as a minor league manager in the Cubs organization.
There is no doubt in my mind that Sandberg will make an excellent major league manager.
Last night's impromptu photo caption contest drew some really good and funny entries, so I'm doing it again tonight. Write your caption in the comments; I'll go through all of them and post the winner's user name in the thread in the morning (if you missed it, last night's winner was ballhawk -- and to be fair, ballhawk, you can enter but you can't win again). Go for it.
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Note: Brad Penny's stats below are with the Giants only; see the pitcher box above for his full-season stats.
Brad Penny is 3-3, 2.64 in nine career starts vs. the Cubs; the most famous of them is probably this 2006 game at Wrigley Field, pitched by Penny not long after Greg Maddux was traded to the Dodgers. Penny let Maddux call all his pitches that day and Penny threw seven shutout innings, allowing seven singles and no walks. Penny had a rough time with the Red Sox this year; they released him and he's been better with the Giants, although he got pounded in his last start against the Dodgers. Aramis Ramirez (10-for-26, .385) and Derrek Lee (6-for-13, 3 doubles), both of whom have been hot this month, like hitting Penny.
In Ryan Dempster's last six starts, he has gone 4-1, 1.91 with 33 strikeouts and only eight walks in 42.1 innings, looking very much like the dominant pitcher of 2008. Let's hope he continues that tonight to finish this season on a positive note. He threw seven strong innings in a 4-2 Cubs win at Wrigley Field on May 4. Current Giants are hitting .235 (31-for-132) against Dempster; the only one who'll likely be in tonight's lineup who hits him well is Edgar Renteria (7-for-22, 2 HR).
Today's game is CSN-centric; Chicago and Bay Area. If you have EI and get the Giants feed, Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper are among the best local broadcast teams. For other games today see the MLB.com Mediacenter.
Baseball-reference.com game preview
Please visit our SB Nation Giants site McCovey Chronicles. Grant, who runs the site, is one of SBN's best writers.
Overflow comment threads will post today at 10:15 and 11:15 pm CDT.
Discuss amongst yourselves.
0 recs | 66 comments
Re: Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper
Second only to Len and Bob. These two guys are outstanding.
chilango2 - September 24, 2009
they are really good
TJ11 - September 24, 2009
Caption
Jake Fox does his best Ryan Theriot impression.
dtpollitt - September 24, 2009
This could be a good pitching duel.
Penny’s ERA is bloated but his WHIP is pretty darn good. Dempster’s last outings have been solid. I hope I don’t fall asleep if it’s actually worth watching.
chilango2 - September 24, 2009
Am I missing something here?
How is this possible?
Vermont Cubs Fan - September 24, 2009
Maddux was pitching for the Dodgers by then
and Penny followed what Maddux told him to pitch, as the latter had just been with the Cubs and knew the batters quite well.
chilango2 - September 24, 2009
Gracias, Jose.
Vermont Cubs Fan - September 24, 2009
De nada.
Aren’t you supposed to be flying to the West Coast now?
chilango2 - September 24, 2009
I am in Napa, California, right now.
Got here late last night. I didn’t comment here as I was so tired. Essentially, I went right to bed after I got here.
Vermont Cubs Fan - September 24, 2009
Caption:
“Hey, Soriano, this is how you play the outfield!”
Vermont Cubs Fan - September 24, 2009
caption
“Jake Fox practices in the outfield, since he isn’t allowed in the lineup.”
or
“Jake Fox receives therapy after being in Lou’s doghouse.”
KaliCub - September 24, 2009
Caption
Jake Fox does his best impersonation of Bobby Scales and fails
jesus christos - September 24, 2009
Caption
Soriano: Hey rook, you’re only supposed to do the hop when you catch the ball.
Zy Toro Young - September 24, 2009 via mobile
I missed it
But what was ballhawk’s winning caption from last night?
cubswgnrocks - September 24, 2009 via mobile
Vermont Cubs Fan - September 24, 2009
thats really good
TJ11 - September 24, 2009
You should go back and read the pregame, there were lots of good ones.
but Ballhawk did deserve it.
KaliCub - September 24, 2009
Caption
Jake screams, “Hey Therapy guy, knock that ball down!”
LAcarl519 - September 24, 2009
Caption
Bob says, “Len he is white!”
Cubsfan Waveland - September 24, 2009
Caption
Jake is out-foxed by a homer.
KaliCub - September 24, 2009
Lineup yet?
TJ11 - September 24, 2009
Nothing on Twitter
Sullivan and Wittenmyer have been quiet all day.
chilango2 - September 24, 2009
Thanks for checking....
TJ11 - September 24, 2009
Lineup
K. Fukudome rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .256
A. Blanco ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .268
D. Lee 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .308
M. Hoffpauir lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .241
M. Fontenot 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .242
J. Baker 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .302
K. Hill c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .235
T. Colvin cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .200
R. Dempster p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .121
LT - September 24, 2009
Fukudome leading off!
Lou must have let someone else make out the lineup tonight.
Al Yellon - September 24, 2009
He seems to be out of his slump.
Hope he does well.
Cubbiegoon - September 24, 2009
Agreed.
And, hope the rest of the guys (Ramirez, Soto, Theriot) enjoy their day off.
Al Yellon - September 24, 2009
wow
TJ11 - September 24, 2009
except for the Hoff and LBR, some nice defense.
let’s hope the bats come through early and often!
Gooooooooo Cubs!!
LAcarl519 - September 24, 2009
Nice for a change
I do hope we get to see one game with the following in the starting lineup before seasons end..Dome, Blanco, Lee, Ram, Soto/Hill, Baker, Colvin, Fox
truelinkfence - September 24, 2009
Caption
Well, here it goes……
“Jake Fox attempts to make a leaping catch in front of a Prince Fielder’s “Big Man’s Earthquake Therapy” advertisement"
Cubbiegoon - September 24, 2009
That was kinda what I was thinking.
I just couldn’t articulate it.
chilango2 - September 24, 2009
caption
‘settle down Princey, it’s only a baseball, not a ‘vegetarian’ hostess snow globe’
LuisSalazar - September 24, 2009
Caption
In a stunning display of one-upmanship, the Cubs fail when Jake Fox jumps and rest of Cub’s fielders fall down, only to find out that Jake didn’t catch the ball.
KaliCub - September 24, 2009
Wow... 25 yrs. ago today I was on Cloud 9!!!
I’m getting tingly just thinking about it. 1984 was a magical year…
Jimmyeatworld - September 24, 2009
I wish I was alive to see it.
Cubbiegoon - September 24, 2009
Magical and tragic at the same time.
KaliCub - September 24, 2009
It was tragic, but not until they were eliminated in the NLCS...
Jimmyeatworld - September 24, 2009
I clearly can't remember that year.
Heck, I can’t recall 1989. 1984 is a lost cause with me, though I have heard the stories about it. I simply don’t remember 1984 because I was born in September of that year.
Vermont Cubs Fan - September 24, 2009
You youngun!
Jimmyeatworld - September 24, 2009
Caption
Jake fails to catch his share of a Culvers Vegan burger.
KaliCub - September 24, 2009
Caption
I didnt know Fuld was playing center last night. Good hustle on his part and nice of Jake to back him up.
truelinkfence - September 24, 2009
Caption
Fox tried his best to catch the ball, but was too scared of the life size photo of Fielder staring at him from the outfield wall.
Sobenergy - September 24, 2009
Caption (2nd attempt):
Fox captures warning track fly ball, then the Brewers throw up this massive picture of Fielder and a startled Jake jumps in shock and the ball flies out of his mitt and over the wall for a homer. A diabolical plot straight out of the annals of Bugs Bunny.
LAcarl519 - September 24, 2009
Caption
If Prince Fielder was really out there, Fox probably would have caught the ball. Even therapy couldn’t help him get taller.
Vermont Cubs Fan - September 24, 2009
Lets play spoiler and finish the season strong.
KaliCub - September 24, 2009
Caption
Johnson needed
Cubsfan Waveland - September 24, 2009
Edit
Cubs needed Johnson
Cubsfan Waveland - September 24, 2009
BCB site note:
BCB reader vonde6 is at tonight’s game. Hopefully, he sees a win.
I have had a change of plans, and will go to Sunday’s Cubs-Giants game. Saturday just didn’t work out.
Vermont Cubs Fan - September 24, 2009
One more caption
“Do not arouse the wrath of the great and powerful Oz. I said come back tomorrow.”
truelinkfence - September 24, 2009
Caption
“Therapy so good, it’s like you’re walking on air!”
Clutch16 - September 24, 2009
Caption #2
∑ U <
Clutch16 - September 24, 2009
Sullivan tweet
says Harden shut down for year
LT - September 24, 2009
linky
http://bit.ly/rQPCa
LT - September 24, 2009
Better shot for Wells to get that extra start??
truelinkfence - September 24, 2009
dusty thinks so
jesus christos - September 24, 2009
Too subtle?
Clutch16 - September 24, 2009
I just watched SUGAR.
It’s a great movie. Go get it. It’s in REDBOX right now.
dtpollitt - September 24, 2009
Thought at first that you listened to Sugar, and thought wow Dan has good taste in music.
Jimmyeatworld - September 24, 2009
Damn you, Jimmy.
dtpollitt - September 24, 2009
You know of whence I speak?
Jimmyeatworld - September 24, 2009
I do
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOMvx71cUag
Clutch16 - September 24, 2009
Saw them at the Iowa Memorial Union in like '92 or '93, one of the best live shows I ever saw.
Jimmyeatworld - September 24, 2009
Clutch16 - September 24, 2009
I'd try my hand at a caption
but I’m too busy laughing at the photo credit.
Goodie1969 - September 24, 2009
3 Captions
1) Milton are you hiding behind there?
2) Stupid therapy – They hang the pills too high for anybody to reach.
3) Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, ‘Where have I gone wrong?’ Then a voice says to me, ‘This is going to take more than one night.’ (Charles Schulz)
eths - September 25, 2009
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