Cubs pitchers weren’t the only arm-weary folks at Wrigley Field after they served up six home runs Saturday in a 9-5 loss to the Expos.
Some bleacher creatures in the crowd of 34,191 became tired of hurling Montreal home-run balls back onto the field. So, when Mike Lansing hit No. 6 and the Expos’ third in a row in the top of the ninth, they hurled scorecards, papers and garbage onto the field.
The grounds crew quickly cleaned up the mess. Plate umpire Jim Quick had the public-address announcer mention the word “forfeit.” The game finished without further incident, and the Cubs’ record at Wrigley fell to 32-31.
The Cubs blew a 5-2 lead when the Expos hit five of their six homers in the final three innings, two apiece off relievers Bob Patterson and Kent Bottenfield. Meanwhile, ex-Cub Jim Bullinger and two other Expos relievers blanked the Cubs on one hit over the last six innings.
“It was the case of a couple of guys (Patterson and Bottenfield), who have done a great job all year, just not having it (Saturday),” said Cubs manager Jim Riggleman. “Patterson has done an outstanding job. He just made a couple of mistakes.”
Catcher Darrin Fletcher hit his second two-run homer of the day off Patterson to tie the game 5-5 in the eighth. Pinch hitter Andy Stankiewicz, who had not hit a homer since April 25, 1994, when he was with Houston, tagged Patterson to make it 6-5 in the ninth. Then Mark Grudzielanek and Lansing homered off Bottenfield.
“It’s always nice to see three home runs, even if it takes nine innings to do it,” said Expos manager Felipe Alou. “The big hit was Fletcher. He was only 2 for 7 against (Patterson). That was a lift.”
It was the rare long ball from Stankiewicz, however, that turned out to be the game-winner.
“I guess those guys thought that if I can hit one, they’d better hit one too,” said Stankiewicz. “They stole my thunder. At first, I was thinking of bunting for a base hit. When it got to 2-0, I thought he’d have to come with something over the plate.”
Patterson did just that.
“My shortcoming was that I got behind 2-0 to Stankiewicz,” said Patterson (1-6). “It was a poor effort.”
Speaking of the fans who threw paper and debris on the field, Patterson said, “I understand their disappointment.”
