Like the thousands of fans packing Wrigley Field on Tuesday, Andre Dawson wanted a glimpse at history.
Before the game the legendary former Cub urged Sammy Sosa to go deep, even though it would come at the expense of the Marlins, his current employer.
“I told him if he hit one to look for me because I was going to do the honor of `salaaming’ him,” Dawson said of the royal treatment.
Dawson didn’t have to wait long to salute Sosa, who cranked a two-run homer in the first inning before the Cubs blew late chances to win.
The Marlins won it 4-3 in the 14th inning when Delino DeShields dropped a Dave Berg fly to left, and after a sacrifice, Luis Castillo singled in Berg.
Sosa’s 52nd homer did more than give him 17 in August, tying Willie Mays’ 1965 National League record for the month.
The majestic shot gave Sosa 438 career homers, tying him for 27th on the all-time list with Dawson, his not-so-secret admirer. Dawson said he would like to witness No. 439.
“Maybe he’ll get it done while we’re still in town,” said Dawson, a special assistant to Florida general manager Dave Dombrowski. “He has the brute strength. He can miss a ball and still hit it out of the ballpark.”
Sosa didn’t miss Ryan Dempster’s 2-1 fastball. His 400-foot shot sliced through the wind with such authority left fielder Cliff Floyd didn’t even bother to turn around.
After taking a 2-1 lead, the Cubs’ lineup fell into its usual slumber. The Cubs didn’t score again until the eighth, when Ricky Gutierrez delivered a one-out single to right to score pinch-runner Augie Ojeda.
Manager Don Baylor had warned his players before the game not to become complacent against the Marlins, who had won two of their previous 12 games.
“Don’t lose any intensity or worry about where they are in the standings,” Baylor told his players.
The Cubs looked emotionally spent in the 10th inning, when two questionable base-running decisions cost them an ideal chance to end the game.
Michael Tucker drew a leadoff walk and Gutierrez followed with a three-hopper through the middle. Robert Machado then hit a sharp grounder to third baseman Mike Lowell, who was playing even with the bag.
Tucker broke for the plate and Lowell gunned him down easily. Delino DeShields lined out to left field and Gutierrez, apparently believing there were two outs, was doubled off second as the weary crowd of 38,744 jeered.
