Leaving an exciting pennant race and going to the Cubs is almost as desirable as leaving the presidency and becoming a ghost payroller in the 5th Ward.
But after beating Los Angeles 4-2 Tuesday night in his Cubs debut, former Mets starter Mark Clark insisted that he was happy to make the switch.
Honestly.
“I didn’t mind playing in New York, but living there was another story,” Clark said. “There’s just so much traffic. It can be a headache. And people are kind of rude out there at times.”
Clark may not be familiar with the Kennedy Expressway or the cashiers at fast-food restaurants in the Loop, but his point was well taken. So was the win, which broke a nine-game Cubs losing streak on the road.
Jose Hernandez’s two-run, center-field home run off Hideo Nomo (11-9) in the seventh broke a 1-1 tie and gave the Cubs their first win away from Wrigley Field since July 16 in New York.
Terry Adams saved his first game since June 2 and, to cap off the end of the drought, Shawon Dunston drew his first walk since June 27.
Sammy Sosa’s run-scoring triple to center in the fourth gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead before Nomo’s bases-loaded single brought home the tying run in the fifth. Doug Glanville threw Greg Gagne out at the plate to prevent Los Angeles from taking the lead.
Hernandez came in when Dunston jammed his right shoulder in the fifth and wound up as a hero.
“It’s been a tough year,” Hernandez said. “Last year at this time, I was almost at 300 at-bats, and now I’m only at about 115. I’ll just play hard and wait until next year.”
Spoken like a true Cub, which Hernandez probably won’t be next year since he’ll be a free agent looking for a club that will let him make a contribution.
