All Mike Fontenot did was hit .360 in the second half of the season, .305 overall and do whatever he has been asked to do.
All he has done at second base for the Cubs is field his position at a .995 clip in 49 starts.
He has hit .352 against division opponents. He has hit .365 when coming to bat with one out in the inning. He finished the season 8-for-13 (.615) with three runs batted in in his final three games this season.
All this and Fontenot still had to catch a break in the form of a teammate’s prolonged slump to make the first postseason start of his career Saturday night in Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Dodgers.
“He has been so good all year,” Cubs shortstop and former college teammate Ryan Theriot said before Saturday’s game. “He deserves it.”
Cubs manager Lou Piniella put the left-handed Fontenot in the No. 2 hole in the order, replacing the beleaguered Kosuke Fukudome.
“He has done a nice job,” Piniella said. “In September he swung the bat well. He has hit above .300 for the year. He deserves an opportunity to play, and we’re going to give it to him. Let’s hope he comes in and swings the bat and gives us a lift.”
In his first at-bat Fontenot grounded out to short. His next time up he hit a sharp single to center on a 1-2 pitch from Dodgers starter Hiroki Kuroda.
The two-out hit had the makings of a rally-starter that Piniella was hoping for, as Derrek Lee followed with a single to left. But Aramis Ramirez grounded out to end the Cubs’ third inning.
Before the game Fontenot said the adrenaline was pumping.
“I’m excited to get out there and play baseball again, you know,” he said. “It’s a big game for us. I’m going to try to have a little fun.”
He would not deny that this was a career milestone, but he made a concerted effort not to get overly excited.
“You realize it’s special, that it’s a postseason game, but there’s nothing to do differently,” he said. “There’s not something you should think about so much more because that really makes it worse. You just come out and do your regular routine like you always do and just come out and play.”
After hitting .397 with 15 RBIs in June 2007 after his second call-up from Triple A, Fontenot, who was not even invited to spring training that year, struggled at times to keep his swing in shape in a reserve role behind Mark DeRosa.
Though getting more chances in the starting lineup this season (49 starts compared to 70 games off the bench), he has adjusted to being a reserve.
“You just have to stay mentally prepared, just try to stay positive, stay ready every day and keep getting your swings in and things like that,” he said. “It’s worked for me so far.”
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misaacson@tribune.com
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