Some things just seem to go together. Peanut butter and jelly. Tracy and Hepburn. Sammy Sosa and June.
Sosa belatedly welcomed in his favorite month of the year in typical fashion Wednesday, blasting a three-run, ninth-inning home run off San Diego closer Trevor Hoffman to give the Cubs a stunning 9-8 victory over the Padres at Wrigley Field.
In a game that featured twists and turns, the Cubs scored four runs in the eighth to tie the game, watched closer Rick Aguilera give up three in the ninth to get booed off the mound and then scored four off Hoffman to post their 10th victory in their final at-bat this season.
Sosa’s 18th home run, on a 1-1 changeup, was a no-doubt-about-it shot deposited deep into the left-center-field bleachers. Last June he set a major-league record for most home runs in a calendar month with 20.
Could it be another summer rerun?
“Everyone has to know I had a great month, but that was last year,” Sosa said. “The last two-three weeks, I have been swinging the bat real well. I’m not going to show much emotion–just continue getting on base and the home runs will come.”
One week earlier, Sosa hit a two-run, game-winning home run in the ninth to beat Florida, and he has 14 home runs and 30 RBIs over his last 26 games. To his teammates’ delight, Sosa’s late-inning heroics are starting to become redundant.
“That’s Sammy’s thing right there,” Lance Johnson said. “He’s the best I’ve ever seen at winning the game like that. That’s some Michael Jordan stuff right there.”
Mark Grace says it’s only fitting.
“He has become such an amazing hero. You have to put him up there with the greatest players in the game. To continually do it the way he has done the last couple years is hard to do. I’m glad he’s on our side.”
The Cubs trailed 5-1 in the eighth when Johnson ignited the comeback with a homer off Brian Boehringer. Sosa singled in a run off Donne Wall and Glenallen Hill’s two-run single tied the game 5-5.
The Cubs had the go-ahead run at third with no outs, but Tyler Houston, Benito Santiago and Manny Alexander failed to get Sosa home. Aguilera entered in the ninth and served up a two-run home run to Ruben Rivera and a homer to Phil Nevin to put the game apparently out of reach.
In five appearances since joining the Cubs, Aguilera has given up seven runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings for a 17.18 earned-run average, including three home runs. But he insists he’s comfortable on the mound.
“The first day here I was a little anxious,” he said. “I felt I threw the ball OK after that first outing (at Wrigley), but today was pretty ugly.”
A crowd of 28,742 booed lustily when Aguilera was yanked from the game after giving up his second home run in a span of three batters, but little did they know what was in store in the ninth.
Hoffman, who posted his third blown save after recording only one in ’98, gave up a one-out single to Jeff Blauser and walked Henry Rodriguez before Grace singled home a run. After that, it was Sosa time.
“You knew whether the wind is blowing in or out, doesn’t matter with Sammy,” Grace said. “If he catches the ball good, the only field that’s going to hold him is O’Hare.”
