Game 153 Recap: Cubs 5, Cardinals 4
Cubs Clinch Division, First Back-to-Back since 1907-1908, Earliest since 1932
W - Lilly (16-9), You, Me, Santo, Harry, 104-year-old-dude-who-threw-out-the-first-pitch, all Cubs fans.
L - Pineiro (6-7), the rest of the NL Central
S - Wood (32)
Things to Take from This Game
1. A bases loaded three-run single for Soriano
Well, two rbis and an error leading to the third run. In the bottom of the second Soriano lined a single right at Brian Barton in left. The ball kicked off his glove and rolled to the wall, clearing the bases. The Cubs raced out to a 3-0 lead.
2. More fielding problems, more runs.
The Cubs got two more runs in the fourth, as Soto began the inning by smashing one through Glaus at third. DeRosa hit a double high off the ivy to score Soto, and after advancing to third on a Fukudome ground out, scored on a nicely executed suicide squeeze by Lilly. 5-0 Cubs through four innings.
3. Glaus homers in 4-run Sixth
Lilly looked great, very economical, through five. In the sixth Felipe Lopez gets an RBI single on a smash up the middle off Theriot's glove, and Glaus unloads a no-doubt three-run home run into the left field well. Suddenly we had a close game. 5-4 through six.
4. Lilly Recovers, Marmol and Wood close it out
Other than a leadoff walk to Glaus in the ninth, the last three innings passed uneventfully as Lilly pitched the seventh, with Marmol and Wood doing their jobs to close out the game. A soft fly out to Edmonds off the bat of Aaron Miles ended the game, and a happy Cubs team celebrated between the pitcher's mound and first base.
The Back-to-Back NL Central Champion Details, below.
Game Recap
- Oh my god, can we just declare that FOX has no pretensions towards actually concentrating on the game? We get some WWE Diva giving us the cardinal lineup, which amounts to her plugging the WWE, mentioning that Pujols is good, and flirting with Tim McCarver. Eww.
Inning 1 - Top
- First pitch of the game, Izturis pops up to straight behind home plate. Ridiculously easy first out
- Ludwick lines a shot over Soriano's head for a double. Looks like it would have been uncatchable regardless, but Soriano also misjudged it a bit, leapt for it without a shot
- Pujols rolls out easily to Short. Nice scoop by Lee. McCarver wanted to IBB Pujols. Idiot.
- Strike 3 called on Felipe Lopez. I know that all the studies show that "protection" for a slugger is a myth, but really, Felipe Lopez hitting fourth, behind Pujols? 13 pitch inning for Ted.
Inning 1 - Bottom
- Hey, how about it: Jeff Samardzija gives the Cubs lineup, and actually, you know, provides information. But God Bless Fox, they misspell it "Smardzija." Poor Fox: so far from journalism, so close to remedial freshman english class.
- Soriano with a check-swing tap-back to Pineiro
- Theriot rolls out to Lopez at second.
- Lee lines one off the base of the ivy in straight-away center. Looks like Ludwick also had some trouble judging that liner.
- My God, McCarver is a moron. Just listening to him discussing whether to pitch Sabathia on short rest makes my mind want to shrivel up and die.
- Ramirez lines out to right, inning over
Inning 2 - Top
- Everyone, take another shot for a 1908 reference from Josh Lewin
- In fact, the entire "what was going on in 1908" graph.
- Glaus K's swinging at a fastball
- Adam Kennedy is playing RF? Ouch. A check-swing right back to Lilly, two outs.
- Brian Barton bounces one just outside of Lilly's reach, over his head up the middle for a single.
- McCarver tells me Barton was an aerospace engineer major, lived in Addis Ababa for a time. Cool.
- Pineiro flies to center, Edmonds battles the sun, makes the catch.
Inning 2 - Bottom
- Edmonds nearly hits one out at the left field well. hits maybe a foot away from the basket, instead it's a double.
- Soto walks
- DeRosa bounces into a potential 4-6-3, but there's a bobble on the turn, DeRosa safe at first by a half step. Pineiro not happy about it.
- Fukudome walks, bases loaded for Lilly
- McCarver shills for budweiser.
- Pineiro continues to look a bit annoyed by things.
- Lilly battling nicely.
- Finally K's swinging. Soriano up, 2 outs, bases loaded.
- Soriano singles to left on an inside fastball, and the ball bounces off the heel of Barton's glove, rolling to the wall. 2 RBIs with the third run being credited to the error. 3-0 Cubs
- Theriot flies to Kennedy in right.
Inning 3 - Top
- Jason LaRue (hitting 9th) up. Gentle pop-up to Lee on a big curveball
- Izturis with a slow bouncer up the middle. Theriot makes a pretty sweet sliding stop on it, but no chance on the throw.
- Everyone, take a shot for the Bartman reference.
- Ludwick grounds into a very easy 6-4-3, out of the inning. 37 pitches for Lilly on the day
Inning 3 - Bottom
- Lee flies to Kennedy in right
- FOX cries crocodile tears for Derek Jeter as he misses the playoffs
- and Ramirez grounds to short. two pitches, two outs
- Edmonds K's swinging, five pitch inning
Inning 4 - Top
- 3-2 pitch to Pujols, he lines a shot to Ramirez's left. He makes a great diving stop for it, the throw is up the first bas line, and Lee manages to barely tag Pujols on the leg as he lunges for it. Out. Very nice set of plays by Ramirez and Lee.
- Lopez squibs one to Lee, unassisted.
- Maybe it's time to listen to the Pat and Ron audio while watching the FOX telecast.
- Glaus pops to Theriot.
Inning 4 - Bottom
- Soto rips a grounder right at Glaus, who can't handle it. Well hit ball, but certainly an error.
- DeRosa then smashes one high off the ivy in the left field well. Looks like a fastball that tailed back over the plate. Barton gives it a good try, but no luck. Soto scores, 4-0 Cubs.
- DeRosa to third as Fukudome grounds out to second.
- Suicide Squeeze play. Lilly bunts, a nice one to the left of Pineiro. DeRosa is breaing for home on the play, Pineiro tries for the glove-hand toss to LaRue, but it's not even close. Lilly safe at first, 5-0 Cubs. Pineiro really letting himself get rattled by his D.
- DeRosa flies out to Kennedy
- FOX shows a highlight of Brewers game: Fielder trying to score on a hit to the outfield, is going to be out by a mile, so he just PUNCHES the catcher as he runs into his tag a few feet up the line from home. What a monumental collapse...
- Theriot grounds out to second
Inning 5 - Top
- Kennedy with a soft liner to DeRosa, first pitch. FOX keeps getting back to the game late from commercials
- Barton flies to left, and Pineiro flies out to the warning track in left. I think it was something like a five pitch ining. 56 for the game
Inning 5 - Bottom
- Lee flies to Kennedy
- Ramirez lines a single to left center
- Edmonds bounces into a 4-6-3 DP
Inning 6 - Top
- LaRue with a soft fly out to Edmonds.
- Izturis with a soft liner into right-center for a single
- Ludwick K's flailing at a curve.
- Pujols gets pitched around, walks on five pitches.
- Double-steal, uncontested. Gyeh.
- Lopez smashes one to Theriot's left. Makes a nice stop to keep it from getting to the outfield, but can't get Lopez at first. One run scores, first and third, two outs.
- Glaus then crushes one out into the left field well bleachers. 5-4 game.
- Ron Santo is Sad.
- Full count, Kennedy walks.
- Cotts and Samardzija up for the Cubs, McClellan for the Cards. 0-2 on Barton
- Crowd gets up.
- Barton with a bouncer to Theriot. Handles the in-between hop, gets Barton by a step.
Inning 6 - Bottom
- Soto with a slow roller to third. Glaus charges, bare-hands, it kicks away. Soto singles.
- DeRosa flies to center.
- Soto isn't being held on (well, Pujols is a foot or too off the bag, between Soto and the bag) and Soto, with a modest lead, takes off for second. Thrown out by a mile. Seems to be explaining himself to someone in the dugout. Two outs.
- Pat and Hughes assume Fukudome missed a hit and run sign. Since I'm not listening to the Fox-cast, and since I can't fathom Soto straight-stealing there, I'll go with that theory.
- Fukudome K's swinging at a pitch inside.
Inning 7 - Top
- Josh Phelps hits for Piniero, K's looking at a fastball
- LaRue K's swinging.
- Izturis bounces out to Theriot. Nice comeback by Lilly
Inning 7 - Bottom
- Ryan Franklin in to pitch.
- and Fontenot hits for Lilly
- and rolls out to Pujols
- Soriano flies to Kennedy. Sun still looks really tough today. Santo with a loud "gyeah!" about it, I'm not sure why.
- Theriot swings and misses at three straight. Really struggling the last few days.
- Very, very quick inning
Inning 8 - Top
- Marmol in.
- From 3-0 to 3-2 on Ludwick, he flies easily to center.
- Pat really getting into it on the radio broadcast
- Pujols reaches for a slider, gently pops to DeRosa, two outs.
- Lopez bounces to Lee way behind the bag and on the line. Waits for Marmol to get over, tosses, inning over. Three outs to go!
Inning 8 - Bottom
- Ludwick to left, Baron out of game Schumaker comesin to play center.
- Lee K's swinging at an inside fastball
- Pat tells me this would be the earliest Cubs clinch since 1932.
- Wood warming up to face Glaus, Kennedy, Schumaker, and a bear-hug from Soto.
- Ramirez K's swinging
- and Edmonds bounces out to Lopez
- Pat - "Time to fasten those seatbelts!"
Inning 9 - Top
- Crowd on its feet at the start of the inning. 3-1 count to Glaus, Wood hitting 96 on gun. Glaus walks
- Brendan Ryan runs for Glaus
- Taps one slowly to DeRosa. He goes to second for the force,Theriot throws, quite late, back to first. Nice work by DeRosa on a relatively tough 4-6 force to get the lead runner
- FOX informs me that wood has a 9.82 era in september. ohh boy.
- 1-1 on Schumaker. 2-1, fastball just off the outside corner. Bit of a tough strike zone, today.
- 2-2 count.
- Wood drops a gorgeous slider down the middle of the plate, bottom of the zone. Strike 3
- Miles hits for franklin. First pitch, skies it to Edmonds in shallow left, an easy out.
- The team gathers between pitcher's mound and first base bag. Santo is hollering on the radio broadcast.
- All told, a rather subdued celebration after a few seconds of group-hug-jumping. Everyone hugs, handshakes each other.
Inning 9 - Bottom
Parachat Recap
Inning 1
- Chad gripes about Theriot
- We gripe about Fox, McCarver
- we mock Fox, McCarver
- how we know who Rob G's wife thinks is cute.
- Whether it's smart or not for the Brewers to pitch Sabathia today on short rest
Inning 2
- Cubs offseason SP rotation moves.
- Brewers game updates
- Wes arrives. People surprised to see him and me at the same time. Harrumph.
- Prominent Cardinals free agent signings
- What to do when life hands you tomato juice. Good suggestions from me, H. Vaughn, Andy
- Our newly socialized economy.
- Ethnically stereotyped pronunciation jokes. Go, Parachat, Go.
- The Blink 182 Drummer's plane crash
- meh
- We don't care about the AL
- Who gives fucks?
- Celebrating the lead
Inning 3
- Since evidently people are sad when I don't give them shout-outs, here's who we have cheering along in Parachat right now: Rob, Andrew, Andy, bizmarquis2, crunch, cubs.com, H_Vaugh, HollywoodChad, MorningtonCrescent, nohit, osiris, The_Real_Neal, THUD, me, and Wes. And every single one of them has said something witty and funny for which they should be eternally commemorated in the internet ether.
- Who is Mischa Barton?
- Who is Brian Barton?
- When Andrew's in Rome...
- The Virgin Mary doesn't ring anyone's bell.
- wait, are we back to talking tomato juice, or rome, or sex?
- I'm so confused.
- More fox-mocking.
Inning 4
- Facing your prostate issues
- for celebration purposes, should we root for the Brewers to win their games, so that the Cubs have to clinch by winning it on their own? (ehh, never root for your opponents.)
- What are we drinking for the clinching celebration?
- Evaluating the New Commisky/Cellular ballpark
- Rob G starts counting the outs remaining in the game.
- Talking to people about their itches in Manhattan
- Cubs Game Plan: Aim for Between Their Legs - The Real Neal
- Cheering on the squeeze play
- amazed at Fielder's cheap-shot.
- Should Theriot rest/be dropped in the order? (Yes, and No.)
Inning 5
- Erudite ostrich-eating tailgaters. I think it was Brick who brought up this crucial demographic.
- Discussing life in North Carolina
- and my modest love life. (
- Osiris preemptively complains about my censorship of this discussion in the recap.
- Trust-fund bums
- my story of Henry the Handwiper
Inning 6
- Facebook, MySpace
- Not Trans's MySpace Page.
- Angst. Chad. Chad. Angst.
- Who is using LinkedIn for sex?
- Who is Fred Gwynn, and is he as stiff as Troy Glaus?
Inning 7
- Interesting trivia: Josh Phelps is one of Alaska's 15 men who haven't impregnated the governor - John Beasley
- I almost feel bad for recapping that.
- Almost.
- is it true that Jason LaRue is singing in a Motorhead cover band during the off-season - Real Neal
Inning 8
- Brewers updates
- that Fielder cheap-shot.
- Discussing the Micah Owings PH RBI in Cincy
- Naked old men in a balloon.
- Last year's parachat on clinching day.
Inning 9
- The top of the ninth starts with a big parachat crowd of: Rob, Andrew, Andy, Biittner, biz, brick, crunch, cubs.com, H Vaughn, Chad, John Beasley, mattralph, MorningtonCrescent, nohit, osiris, real neal, me, Wes, lowitzki.
- A picture is worth a thousand words.
Cubs record in games recapped goes to 13-6
Comments