Go Cubs Go!
It was a controversy. It was pandemonium. A foul ball down the left field by Luis Castillo was hit down the left field line. and almost caught by Moises Alou, was batted by a Cubs fan, a fan whose name was lost to history, and the play was ruled a foul ball. The Cubs seem to be floundering, with the Marlins scoring a run soon after, and would have the bases loaded, thanks to an error by normally solid fielder Alex Gonzalez, as Derrek Lee stepped up with only one out in the eighth inning. However, before a pitch was thrown, Cubs skipper Dusty Baker would signal to the bullpen and bring in lefty reliever Mike Remlinger to face Lee. On a 2-1 pitch, Lee would hit a sharp grounder to first baseman Eric Karros, who would throw home to cut down Castillo at the plate, then catcher Paul Bako would notice Karros not being able to cover quickly enough, and he would throw to third, where Aramis Ramirez was covering, and got fellow catcher Ivan Rodriguez for an inning ending 3-2-5 double play. Wrigley Field erupted. The bottom of the eighth would be a 1-2-3 inning, and the ninth would begin with Joe Borowski entering to close down the two-run game. Mike Lowell would be the first man up for the Marlins, and he would battle. After three pitches going to a 1-2 count, Lowell would foul off 6 pitches consecutively. The tenth pitch off the at-bat would be the one to end the meeting, as a grounder to Mark Grudzielanek would be easily tossed to Eric Karros, and the first out was in. Jeff Conine was next. He would view the first pitch before striking the second into center field for a single, and that would bring the tying run to the plate, pinch hitter Todd Hollandsworth. He would hardly be an inconvenience for Borowski, sitting down in three simple pitches. With two outs, Juan Encarnacion would enter the box, the game on the line. For Chicago, it was nearly a disaster. On a 3-1 pitch from Borowski, Encarnacion struck the ball with the power of the gods, and it seemed he would tie it up with a home run into center field. However, a wind gust caught the ball, causing it to lose momentum and hit the wall, falling into the ivy for a ground-rule double. Conine would stay at third, and, despite hitting a missile, Encarnacion would be on second base. Speedy Juan Pierre would come in to try and pull some heroics for Florida, but was outdueled, as Borowski K'd him with a high heater, and that did it. The Cubs had broken the 58 year drought without a World Series birth, and did so in dramatic fashion. Many schools in Chicago cancelled that Wednesday's classes, and the Chicago River was dyed Cubbie Blue. This was the beginning of an incredible period of baseball.
There it is, folks. The Cubs have reached the Fall Classic to kick off the Collaborative Timeline. How will that change things? That is for us to decide.
There it is, folks. The Cubs have reached the Fall Classic to kick off the Collaborative Timeline. How will that change things? That is for us to decide.