Zambrano Answers Questions About Arm Issues with No-Hitter

Well that was kind of awesome...except I walked out right before Derrek Lee's double in the third. So I'll have to relive the glory through those who were witness.

I found out about the no-hitter when I opened my email and one of our readers sent me the parachat screen grab from the end of the game.

As you can see, Mister Whipple was particularly enthused. Thanks to reader Andy for the pic.

You can see the video higlights as well at ESPN.com.

With the Brewers getting swept by the Phillies and the Cubs win, the Cubs magic number has been reduced to seven for both making the playoffs and winning the division.

Well damn that was fun, too bad I missed most of it.

Tags: 
Cubs history
Carlos Zambrano
No-Hitters
Submitted by Rob G. on Sun, 09/14/2008 - 10:58pm
Return to Homepage

Comments

Submitted by Hawkeye
on Sun, 09/14/2008 - 11:35pm

Saw the score on the XM ticker as we got in the car after dinner at a friend's house. No chance to see it on TV, but am praying for an ESPN instant classic. Zambranono is awesome.

Submitted by Ryno
on Sun, 09/14/2008 - 11:49pm

He only hit 89 on the gun with his FB a couple times. Whaddya think? Rotator cuff surgery?

Submitted by The Real Neal
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 12:13am

I think the FSN gun was a little fast (maybe it's a Astros' tradition), but Zambrano hit 98 in the first.

Submitted by Rob G.
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 12:40am

MLB Gameday had him between 96-98 mph a lot in the first three innings when I was watching. I haven't checked the rest of the game.

Submitted by Andrew
on Sun, 09/14/2008 - 11:50pm

Awesome. I hope this is a sign of good things to come for the rest of Z's season.

Submitted by The Real Neal
on Sun, 09/14/2008 - 11:58pm

The Brewers watched the end of the game, and were officially rooting for the Cubs now that they're tied for the WC lead.

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=2...

Submitted by The Joe
on Sun, 09/14/2008 - 11:59pm

Watched it on MLB.tv. Best baseball watching moment in my life. Awesome. He looked brilliant.

Submitted by djchi
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 8:51am

Really? Clearly in my top 10, but Sosa's homer in the ninth in the '03 playoffs rates higher, the blowout playoff win in '84 rates higher and I think the clincher in '84 rates higher too, and it just feels like some more things rate higher too. Karros' homer in the Wood-Clemens game maybe too.

I don't mean to say this wasn't a great moment, like I said, clearly in the top 10. I think it went too fast. It almost wasn't suspenseful enough. It needed more tension.

Submitted by superjimmer
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 12:11am

It is amazing how much energy Zambrano brings to this team (and city). I think Soriano and Zambrano are the spiritual leaders of the club. Both of them add far more than their stats could ever reflect (even though their stats are good, and particularly Zambrano's tonight). Understatement.

THey're just the guys you want on the field. I think Z has a competitive spirit perhaps only matched by Walter Payton and Michael Jordan.

Submitted by superjimmer
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 12:13am

I see Soriano as more of a Ernie Banks . . . (not as talented) but PRETTY talented. But he loves the game and always radiates that.

Submitted by The Real Neal
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 1:13am

Watching the game in retrospect, various thoughts:

When Soriano hits the 3rd pitch of a game for a home run: We win!

When they mention Hunter Pence's 13 game hitting streak: Not for long...

Long littany of excuses about travelling and playing etc: Tough luck, you could have come to Milwaukee Friday with your families (most of you are millionares, you know), if you wanted.

96 on the game score, two better than Lester's No hitter for highest score of the season.

Submitted by crunch
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 1:17am

rally pink was in full effect on parachat. hehe...wes was rocking the rally teal and everyone was cap'd up for the hell of it. ah, pointless stupidity.

great game...glad the 9th was on ESPN even if i had to follow the rest online.

Submitted by Mister Whipple
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 2:08am

I beg to differ. For once, the stupidity felt like it actually had a point.

I can't believe you didn't notice my rally puce.

Submitted by crunch
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 2:17am

heh...

also, i cant believe i didnt notice your rally puce either.

Submitted by Jace
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 10:08am

I don't think I have ever read the word "puce" before. So that's how it's spelled?
What a night! I had no idea this was going on until I was listening to ESPN radio, and they broadcast the 9th inning. I hope he feels okay today...

Submitted by Wes
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 1:40pm

Love the "INTERESTING STATISTICAL EVENT TEAL". Don't see it nearly enough.

Submitted by crunch
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 1:35am

out of the ashes of prior and wood emerges a guy who has pretty much cemented his place in the "legend" area of cubs history.

he was that "other guy" lost in the prior/wood mix for too long. about time he got a piece of history to go along with his obviously superior play.

Submitted by Mister Whipple
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 2:11am

Hey, I won't be embarrassed or apologize for my unbridled enthusiasm after watching one of the greatest baseball games of my entire life. That I got to share it with crunch, Andy, Brick, Chad, ryno, bizmarquis, and all the other PChat all stars made it that much better.

I even woke up my kids cheering on the last pitch!

Submitted by tbone
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 2:16am

I was watching on TV when Holtzman no-hit the Braves. Went the next day and the Cubs lost.
I was watching on TV when Holtzman pitched his second no-hitter.
Was going to go to the Hooton no-hitter but the weather was so crappy that we stayed home thinking the game would be cancelled. Watched the final four innings on TV.
For some reason was sitting inside with my Dad and watched the final four innings of the Pappas no-hitter.
Watched the first and final five innings of the Z no-hitter.

And these were just a few of the sad number of notable games. The rest of my life is filled with images of Mike Vail flying to the warning track and Bill Bonham giving up gargantuan homers to Mike Lum.

Submitted by 10man
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 5:39am

Just from the comments on this blog, it's so obvious already what kind of a psychological and emotional impact Z has on Cubs fans when he is on the field and playing well. I can just imagine what the impact is in that clubhouse. Electric!

Submitted by Charlie
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 9:23am

Yeah, watching the Cubs is much more fun when Z is going good. When he's going good, you want him to be on the mound everyday and you think it would be an upset for him to lose a game to anybody. When he's going poorly you're just wishing he'd turn it around while expecting him to melt down at some point.

I hope people are pissed that ESPN didn't allow nationwide coverage by WGN. Not that I would've seen it, but my father would have. He called me in the 8th. We've been talking about this for 7 years.

Submitted by Pell Mell
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 6:11am

I'd never seen a no-hitter before, but I always imagined that the 9th inning would be nerve-wracking. It kind of was, but I had a rock-bottom confidence in Z's ability to do it. I think that feeling started on the play in the 8th where he came over to catch that pop fly by himself; he looked like he was going to catch the ball, then eat it. Fantastic.

I got to see part of the game with my 5-year-old son. He went to bed at 8 or so, but for some reason, he was awake when I was getting ready for bed, so I told him: "Hey, buddy, when you were watching the game, did you see any of the Astros get a hit off Zammy?" (thinks) "No." "Yeah. Neither did I." (thinks)(grins)

Submitted by Charlie
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 9:24am

Len Kasper was the only reason I was nervous in the 9th. His voice just reeks of jinx. But even Len couldn't stop Z yesterday. Erstad swinging at ball 4 helps too.

Submitted by Iowa Cub
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 11:13am

Hey, buddy, when you were watching the game, did you see any of the Astros get a hit off Zammy?" (thinks) "No." "Yeah. Neither did I." (thinks)(grins)

How cool is it to share a moment like that with your son? Awesome.

Submitted by Pell Mell
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 8:20pm

The very coolest. I am an extremely lucky person. Like Neifi-grand-slam-in-St.-Louis lucky.

Submitted by Little Nate Lewis
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 6:31am

"I felt good, I like the mound," Zambrano said. "This is a beautiful ballpark. Gosh, I wish we could have a new ballpark."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs...

Submitted by 10man
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 8:36am

New Wrigley? sacrilege!

Submitted by tbone
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 10:42am

Keep in mind the Cubs used the massive home clubhouse at Miller Park. I've been in the home clubhouse at Miller and Wrigley and it is roughly the difference between a Four Seasons and a Red Roof Inn.

Submitted by Cubster
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 6:32am

"We want [the Cubs] to win," Braun said.

(from the link in #4)

Submitted by iowaCub
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 9:16am

My mom, yes, my mom, texted me and that's how I found out. I had shut off my mlb radio-cast thinking that they had this wrapped up after Lee's double. Wow, just wow. Go Cubs and go Big Z.

Submitted by mattofamerica
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 9:36am

Wow. That last pitch will be something we remember for a long time. But what about the second-to-last pitch? It hit the dirt about 5 feet in front of the plate! A little nervous, Carlos?

Submitted by nohit
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 10:35am

A little sweaty, I think. Looked like he might've lost his grip on the splitter. Wouldn't be surprised if nerves were a big part of it too.

Submitted by billybucks
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 9:41am

After getting swept by the Pirates, Cards are now 12 back

Remember them?

Submitted by WISCGRAD
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 9:53am

Yeah, the Cards are now out of it and the Cubs have a chance to put the Astros down another game after today.

Also the Brewers denied the Phillies' request to play a game on their off-day today and instead insisted on a double header yesterday. The Phillies of course gave them the big F-U by sweeping the DH and the series.

Living in Wisconsin I would love to see the Brewers not even make the playoffs, especially considering all of that crap Sabathia said about them being the best team in the league. But in the same sense, I'm not sure what playoff scenario I like better:

Dodgers, then winner of Brewers-Mets
or
Phillies, then winner of Dodgers-Mets

Submitted by tbone
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 10:36am

Both scenarios for the Cubs have them playing a team with a hot pitching staff. The way Hamels made the Cubs look in the ARam grand slam game was pretty scary. But that was only one game removed from the streak where almost every pitcher that was sent out to the mound made the Cubs look bad. I just hope the Cubs clinch this week while the other teams go to the wire using their best pitchers on the last day of the season.

Submitted by Wild Thing
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 10:35am

Harden set to pitch 4th in playoff rotation?

Lilly 2nd? WTF?

Submitted by nohit
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 10:39am

That might make sense...

...if we were playing the '85 Cardinals...

Submitted by big_lowitzki
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 11:19am

What the hell?

And not only Lilly 2nd, but Wittenmeyer goes on to say that the 4th slot would be either Marquis or Harden?

Huh?

Submitted by Newport
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 11:07am

"Barring injury or another scheduling glitch, that makes the playoff rotation: Zambrano, Lilly and Dempster, with either Marquis or Harden as the final one in a probable four-man rotation."

This is a joke, right? Why would Marquis even be mentioned in this discussion? The rotation should be Z, Dempster, Harden, Lilly. Marquis can sit his ass in the bullpen/dugout.

Submitted by crunch
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 12:10pm

fwiw...harden's last outting he wasnt throwing his high-velocity 2-seamer as much as he should have been.

could be a warning sign...

Submitted by dcf
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 11:22am

Watched the last three innings. He just dominated. As Brenly said, when he missed, he didn't miss by much. Had velocity, movement, command. Looked composed and focused out there.

As for his arm, who knows? "I don't know, man, my arm is weird, for real," Zambrano said. "Sometimes I give all I have in my arm. I even go back and try to throw harder and I just see 92-93. And sometimes I just kind of play catch with [ Geovany Soto] and see the scoreboard and it's 97-98.

"I don't know. I think it's because if you use your leg like Larry [Rothschild] tells me all the time, use your leg perfectly, you throw the ball harder. It's not just your arm, it's how you throw."

http://www.thecubreporter.com/2008/09/14/zambrano-...

I'd like to see this Z all the time. It seemed that me that he was really driving of the rubber last night, at times practically bouncing of the mound on his follow through. Did anyone else notice this? This off season, I'd like to see him pay more attention to conditioning, perhaps lose a little weight and try to be better able to keep his legs throughout the season.

Submitted by billybucks
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 11:34am

THE HOME RUN BY CHICAGO LEFT FIELDER ALFONSO SORIANO LED OFF THE GAME.

CHICAGO PITCHER CARLOS ZAMBRANO HAS A NO-HITTER THROUGH SIX INNINGS.

CHICAGO PITCHER CARLOS ZAMBRANO HAS A NO-HITTER THROUGH SEVEN INNINGS.

CHICAGO PITCHER CARLOS ZAMBRANO HAS A NO-HITTER THROUGH EIGHT INNINGS.

CHICAGO PITCHER CARLOS ZAMBRANO HAS A NO-HITTER THROUGH EIGHT AND 1/3 INNINGS.

CHICAGO PITCHER CARLOS ZAMBRANO HAS A NO-HITTER THROUGH EIGHT AND 2/3 INNINGS.

CHICAGO PITCHER CARLOS ZAMBRANO HAS THROWN A NO-HITTER.

Couldn't have said it any better.

Submitted by Andy
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 7:04pm

it's so matter-of-fact!
lol

Submitted by John Beasley
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 12:24pm

If the Cubs win the next four in a row, they'll clinch the division.

If we can get hot, we could be officially playoff-bound in about 75 hours.

Submitted by Rob G.
on Mon, 09/15/2008 - 12:50pm

if we win the next 4 we clinch a tie in the division...guaranteed. Depends on wha the Astros do versus the Marlins for the outright division win.

Assume we win today and that leaves the Astros at 69 losses and the Brewers at 67 losses. If we take all 3 from the Brewers, that leaves them with 70 losses and us with 93 wins, so yes they'd be eliminated from the division. But if the Astros win their first two versus the Marlins, they'd still be at 69 losses and could conceivably tie.

 

X
You may login with either your assigned username or your e-mail address.
The password field is case sensitive.
Loading