For eight innings Saturday, Ryne Sandberg Day at Wrigley Field was zipping along almost as if Ryno himself had scripted it.
“I felt we were cruising,” Sandberg said. “We had a 2-0 lead going into the ninth. Only three more outs to get . . .”
Then the sellout crowd of 38,313 fans who had cheered Sandberg at a pregame home plate ceremony watched in dismay as the Cubs blew the lead and lost 3-2 to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Rookie Jeremi Gonzalez was working on a three-hit shutout and had not allowed a hit since the third inning, but manager Jim Riggleman hooked him and brought on closer Terry Adams to start the ninth.
Six men faced Adams, and all reached base. Three of them scored, the tying run coming on a passed ball and the winning run on an error by–of all people–Sandberg, who will retire next week after 15 brilliant seasons at second base.
After the loss, which dropped the Cubs only one game from the Phillies’ NL-worst record, 65-90 to 64-91, Riggleman explained why he replaced Gonzalez.
“Jeremi was doing a great job,” Riggleman said. “But the game was in that area where if I let him start the ninth and a runner got on, I’d take him out. I thought it was better for Terry to start clean. It puts more pressure on a reliever to come in with men on base.”There was no question in my mind about making a pitching change. Get the ball into the closer’s hands with a lead in the ninth. In the same situation tomorrow, I’d do it the same way.”
The Phils didn’t exactly rock Adams. Two of the three hits he allowed were infield chops. But Lance Johnson made an error in center, and Adams made an error in judgment when he tried to nail Scott Rolen leaning off third on Mike Lieberthal’s bouncer back to the mound.
“I couldn’t get ahead on the count,” Adams said. “When you can’t throw strikes, you can’t get outs. In the ball hit back to me, I thought I had him off third base.”
