Lee Smith scared some folks Friday night.
”I think my whole family must have aged about 10 years tonight,” said the Cubs` relief ace.
The Pirates scored two runs in the ninth, but Smith and the Cubs held on for a 5-4 victory. Only 2,490 fans showed up in Three Rivers Stadium in 35-degree weather.
”What a christening. It was a crazy game,” said manager Jim Frey of the Cubs` first victory in three outings this season.
Steve Trout (1-0) earned the victory with a brilliant six-inning effort, and he got an infield hit that resulted in three runs. He went out with a groin injury that is not believed to be serious. Smith escaped with the save, thanks to a magnificent defensive play by Keith Moreland.
The Pirates were trailing 5-2 in the ninth when second baseman Johnny Ray (3-for-4) led off with a double. Sid Bream drew a one-out walk, and Tony Pena dumped a single to center that loaded the bases. Jim Morrison then hit a fading liner to right. Moreland trapped it with a sliding stop, scrambled to his feet and fired a one-hopper to the plate. Catcher Jody Davis could have tagged the plate for a force, but he couldn`t find it as Ray slid under his awkward tag.
Joe Orsulak`s sacrifice fly to center scored Bream and made it 5-4. But 5-foot-6-inch Rafael Belliard swung from his heels and struck out to end the game.
”Those guys were hackin` at the plate,” said Smith. ”I was trying to throw a high fastball to Belliard to get him to pop it up, but he was right on it. Some people from the Pirates were hootin` on me for throwing a slider to a guy like Belliard, but I said, `Hey, this little guy was right on my best stuff.` I had to throw something else up there.”
Frey thought the Cubs were going to walk away with an easy victory until the dramatic ninth.
”Moreland made an outstanding play to smother that ball,” said Frey.
”I could just see that ball bouncing down into the corner.”
”That was the big play of the game, a great play,” said Pirates`
manager Jim Leyland.
Moreland said he initially thought he had a chance to catch Morrison`s drive.
”If I back off it and let the ball drop in front of me, it`s going to be first and third and one out,” Moreland said. ”I took a chance on catching it, and I`m lucky I picked the short hop. Morrison is a pull hitter, and even though Smitty is pitching, I`m playing him to pull. It was just one of those balls that Ryno (second baseman Ryne Sandberg) couldn`t get to and I couldn`t get to. Ryno was on the dead run to back me up if the ball got past me.”
The Cubs took a 4-0 lead in the fourth against lefty Larry McWilliams, thanks to an error by shortstop Sammy Khalifa. Leon Durham and Davis singled to put runners on the corners with one out. Ron Cey, in his first start of the season, grounded to third baseman Morrison, whose throw to the plate nailed Durham.
After Shawon Dunston walked to load the bases, Trout was safe on an infield hit deep in the hole at short. When Khalifa threw wildly to second on an attempted force, all three runners scored and Trout went to second. He scored on Bobby Dernier`s single to right.
”I knew as soon as I threw it that I shouldn`t have,” said Khalifa,
”but all I was thinking about during the play was trying to get that out. I should have been satisfied with just stopping the ball.”
”We have all kinds of opportunities in St. Louis but lose two games, and we come here and Rainbow Trout starts a rally by hitting the ball to shortstop,” said Frey. ”That`s why managers have to go home and have a beer sometimes.”
Trout, a left-handed hitter who batted .109 last season, said the odds against him getting a hit off a left-handed pitcher in that situation were
”slim . . . about as good as us going home tomorrow to see our families.”
The Pirates scored twice in the sixth. Pinch-hitter Bill Almon walked before R.J. Reynolds dropped a double into the right-field corner. With runners on second and third, Khalifa grounded out to second, scoring Almon. Ray singled up the middle to drive in Reynolds.
Don Robinson relieved McWilliams to open the seventh inning.
”McWilliams did a good job in spring training,” said Leyland. ”He was a little wobbly at the start, but he settled down. I think he`s a big key for us because he has a little different style. When he`s effective, I think it can have an effect on the other team`s hitters for a couple of days. It`s kind of like having a Doyle Alexander or a Joe Niekro mixed in on your staff.”
Robinson retired the Cubs in order in the seventh, but singles by Moreland and Cey in the eighth and Robinson`s wild pitch produced a run that made it 5-2.
Right-hander Jay Baller took over in the bottom of the seventh for Trout, who limped away with a slightly strained left groin.
”It`s very minor, but we didn`t want to take any chances,” said Trout.
”I iced it down and we`ll keep a check on it.”
