A month ago Matt Mieske was in the minor leagues. Monday night he was just glad to get a chance to help the Cubs as he responded with a crucial pinch-hit in their 5-3 victory over the Giants.
Mieske thought his two-run sixth-inning pinch single made a point. “We have the horses: Sammy, Gracie, Tapani, Beck and those guys,” he said. “But to win you need contributions from other guys too.”
Mieske was one of those “other guys” when he went to bat for Henry Rodriguez against lefty Rich Rodriguez. The Cubs were leading 2-0 with Lance Johnson and Sammy Sosa in scoring position in the sixth inning.
“I was looking for a curveball, and he threw me a curve,” Mieske said. “I hit it into right field for two runs.”
This was, Mieske said, the biggest hit of his five-year major-league career. “This didn’t come in Game No. 50 or Game No. 75,” Mieske said. “It came in game No. 163!”
Percentages didn’t seem to favor Mieske. As a pinch hitter, he batted only .167 this season (4 for 24) and .158 (9 for 57) for his big-league career. But he drove home Johnson and Sosa.
Mieske complained, with good reason, when the Cubs sent him to their Class AAA Iowa farm team July 22. He had hit close to .300 as a part-time outfielder with the Cubs. He batted .438 (21 for 48) in the 14 games he started. But he was trapped by the numbers game and went to Iowa determined to return to Chicago.
Mieske batted only .255 at Iowa, but manager Jim Riggleman wanted another right-handed pinch hitter to send against lefties. When the minor-league season ended, Mieske rejoined the teammates he left in a playoff race in late July.
