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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- For most other teams, it would have been a strange night. For the Cubs and the Brewers, it was business as usual.
Eric Young drew his club-record fifth walk with the bases loaded, and Sammy Sosa had a two-run double as Chicago beat the
Brewers 7-4 in 15 innings Friday night in the latest chapter of
their truly bizarre rivalry.
The Cubs' third victory in 11 games was made possible only
because nearly three hours earlier, Milwaukee blew a two-run lead
in the ninth when closer Bob Wickman imploded and Ron Belliard
missed a simple tag, allowing the tying run to score.
"I thought the fat lady had sung," Milwaukee manager Davey Lopes said. "She didn't."
In the 15th inning, rookie Allen Levrault (0-1) allowed one-out
singles to Damon Buford and Joe Girardi. Levrault then walked Cubs
pitcher Jon Lieber, who was making the first pinch-hit appearance
of his career.
Young walked to force Buford home, and Sosa added two insurance
runs with a double to right. Rick Aguilera got his 17th save, while
Daniel Garibay (2-3) got the win.
Chicago and Milwaukee added one more chapter to their zany
history, which was tied 14-14 entering Friday night. Since the
Brewers joined the NL in 1998 and immediately picked the Cubs as
their archrivals, nearly unreal occurrences have become the norm
whenever they get together.
How strange has this matchup become? The teams have played the
longest nine-inning game in NL history, a game in which Milwaukee
blew a five-run lead with five unearned runs in the ninth and a
12-11 extra-inning game with six lead changes -- and that was just
during a four-game series at Wrigley Field last month.
"I wasn't aware of that (rivalry) until I came here and they
told me," said Chicago manager Don Baylor, in his first year with
the Cubs. "It's all true. It's never enough. Just the play itself
tonight was great."
The latest oddity started in June and ended in July, stretching five hours and 31 minutes. It was particularly torturous for the Cubs, who didn't get to Milwaukee until 6 a.m. CT Friday because of airplane problems in Pittsburgh.
The Brewers' biggest crowd since opening day was alternately
thrilled and horrified by the show before them. Brewers starter Jamey Wright had another strong outing, allowing four hits over 7
1/3 innings and striking out seven.
Milwaukee took a 4-2 lead into the ninth, but Wright was denied
his fourth straight win when Wickman blew his second save of the
year -- both of them coming against the Cubs -- on a combination of
bloop singles, walks and one bad defensive decision by Belliard.
Wickman allowed two singles and a walk to load the bases in the
ninth, then walked Young to force in a run. Ricky Gutierrez hit a
slow grounder to second base, but Belliard tried to tag Young
instead of touching the base.
"I saw him right there," Belliard said. "I saw a chance to
touch him. He just jumped out of the line."
Young dodged Belliard's half-hearted tag and dove into second,
allowing pinch-runner Jeff Huson to score. Lopes was ejected while
arguing Young had left the baseline while ducking the tag.
"We all had opportunities to win that ballgame, and we all had
a part in losing that ballgame," Lopes said. "We gave it back to
them (with) a mental lapse."
James Mouton went 4-for-5 with two doubles for the Brewers.
Young tied the club record for walks held by Elrod Hendricks and Andre Dawson. He also got a hit and was hit by a pitch to reach base seven times, tying a Cubs franchise record set by Cliff Heathcote in 1922.
The trade rumors surrounding Sosa, who went 3-for-8 with two
doubles and three strikeouts, finally quieted on Thursday when the
New York Yankees, Sosa's most ardent suitor, acquired outfielder David Justice from Cleveland.
"I've always said I'd like to continue my career in Chicago,"
Sosa said. "Whether it's going to be here or somewhere else is not
up to me. I don't know what's going to happen."
Henry Rodriguez homered to lead off the second inning for
Chicago. It was Rodriguez's first homer and RBI since May 27.
Henry Blanco hit a solo homer in the sixth and proved his worth
behind the plate when he stayed in the game in the eighth inning
after Sosa fouled a pitch off the catcher's collarbone.
Game notes
Mark Grace broke an 0-for-19 slump with a double off the
wall in the 11th inning. ... Home plate umpire Justin Klemm ejected
Lopes in the ninth inning and ejected bench coach Jerry Royster in
the 15th inning. ... Milwaukee blew a scoring chance with one out
in the 13th when pinch-runner Santiago Perez forgot how many outs
there were and ran home when Blanco popped up to left. ... The
Brewers had 30,216 fans in County Stadium to see the first of three
games against their I-94 rivals. Attendance also was boosted by the
opening weekend of Summerfest, a gigantic lakeside festival that
attracts thousands of tourists to Milwaukee each year. The few
thousand who remained in the 14th inning stood for another
rendition of "Roll Out the Barrel."
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