1998 National League Wild-Card tie-breaker game
Encyclopedia
The 1998 National League Wild Card tie-breaker game was a one-game playoff
to decide the winner of Major League Baseball
's (MLB) National League Wild Card
. The game took place on September 28, 1998, between the Chicago Cubs
of the National League Central
and the San Francisco Giants
of the National League West
at Wrigley Field
. It was necessary after both teams finished the season with records of 89–73. The Cubs won a coin flip late in the season which, by rule at the time, awarded them home field for the game.
The Cubs won the game 5–3, holding the Giants scoreless for the majority of the game until the Giants threatened heavily in the ninth inning and scored all three of their runs. This victory advanced the Cubs to the 1998 National League Division Series
(NLDS) where they were swept by the Atlanta Braves
, ending the Cubs' season. In baseball statistics
the tie-breaker counted as the 163rd regular season game for both teams, with all events in the game added to regular season statistics.
champion Florida Marlins
in the NLDS
. The Giants' Barry Bonds
drew criticism for his postseason performance, which had been a recurring criticism dating back to his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates
. The Cubs made several offseason acquisitions following the 1997 season including trading Doug Glanville
for second baseman
Mickey Morandini
along with signing Jeff Blauser
and Henry Rodriguez
as free agent
s.
One notable event of the 1998 season was the race for the home run title and Roger Maris
' single-season record of 61 home run
s between the Cubs' Sammy Sosa
and the Cardinals' Mark McGwire
. McGwire ultimately won, setting a new record of 70 while Sosa closed the season with 66. Bonds would top their totals with 73 home runs in 2001, setting the current record, while McGwire and Sosa's totals remain the second and third highest figures in MLB history. Additionally, three teams finished the 1998 season within one game of one another in the race for the National League Wild Card: the Cubs, Giants, and New York Mets
. This late-season race included a dramatic Cubs loss to the Brewers on September 23. The Cubs led 7–5 with two outs and the bases loaded
for the Brewers in the bottom of the ninth inning when Brant Brown
dropped a fly ball, allowing three unearned runs to score on his error
and losing the Cubs the game. This loss gained notoriety for announcer and former-Cub Ron Santo
's call of the final play, yelling "Oh, no!" as the final runs scored.
The Mets were tied with the Cubs and Giants in the Wild Card race as late in the season as September 25 at 88–72. However, the Mets lost their remaining two games and finished their season one game back of the Cubs and Giants who ended tied at 89–73. This record was also the best non-division-winning record and as such a tie-breaker was necessary to determine the Wild Card winner. A coin flip on September 14 gave the Cubs' home field advantage, setting Wrigley Field
as the location for the game. In the event of a three-way tie the Cubs were presented with the choice to either host two home games or receive a bye and play the winner of a Mets-Giants game on the road because they had the best combined record against the Mets and Giants. Cubs' general manager
Ed Lynch decided on the second option, though the choice was moot as the Mets fell out of the race. The Cubs' Steve Trachsel
and Mark Gardner of the Giants were slated to start
the tie-breaker on the September 28.
Box score
for Monday September 28, 1998—7:10 p.m. (CT) at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois
The game remained scoreless in the early innings, with only two baserunners apiece for each team through the first three innings. The Giants loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the 4th inning, but Brian Johnson struck out
to end the inning. The first runs of the game came in the top of the 5th as Henry Rodriguez singled to lead off the inning and scored on a home run by Gary Gaetti
to give the Cubs a 2–0 lead. The Cubs threatened again in the next inning with singles
by Lance Johnson
and Sammy Sosa
. Rich Rodriguez
relieved Gardner, but loaded the bases with a walk
to Mark Grace and allowed a single to Matt Mieske
which scored two more runs and extended the Cubs' lead to 4–0. John Johnstone
relieved Rodriguez and closed the inning without further scoring.
After getting one out in the top of the 7th, Steve Trachsel allowed a single and a walk to pinch hitter
s Brent Mayne
and Armando Rios
respectively. The Cubs double switched, bringing in Matt Karchner
to relieve Trachsel and Orlando Merced
to play left field. Karchner induced another out before loading the bases on a single by Shawon Dunston
. Felix Heredia
entered in relief of Karchner and got Barry Bonds to ground out to first base to end the inning. The Cubs further extended their lead in the bottom of the 8th inning. After Alvin Morman
got Morandini to strike out to open the inning the Giants double switched to bring in José Mesa
to pitch and Bill Mueller
at third base. Mesa allowed a single to Sammy Sosa and a double
to Mark Grace which advanced Sosa to third. Following a ground out Mesa threw a wild pitch
while facing Gaetti and Sosa scored to make the game 5–0.
The Giants responded in the top of the 9th, scoring their only runs of the game. Kevin Tapani
allowed successive singles to Brent Mayne
and Mueller to open the inning before Terry Mulholland
relieved him. Stan Javier
singled to score Mayne and Ellis Burks
then walked to load the bases. Bonds came to bat with the bases for the second time in the game and lined out to deep right field, scoring Mueller on a sacrifice fly
and Javier advanced to third base. Rod Beck
entered and got successive outs by Jeff Kent
, which scored Javier, and Joe Carter
to end the game 5–3 for the Cubs.
. The Cubs' presence in the postseason, playing for a spot in the World Series
, led several sportswriters to reference the Curse of the Billy Goat
and the difficulties the Cubs' had faced since 1945. The Billy Goat story suggests that Billy Sianis
cursed the Cubs after he and his goat were asked to leave game four of the 1945 World Series
. The playoff berth matched the Cubs with the Atlanta Braves
in the NLDS, where the Cubs were swept three games to none. The Cubs have not made the World Series since 1945 and have not won a title since 1908.
In baseball statistics
tie-breakers count as regular season games, with all events in them added to regular season statistics. For example, the Chicago Sun-Times
noted that Sammy Sosa could have added to his notable home run total in the game. Sosa did add to his league-leading strikeout total with one in the 4th inning. Beck also added to his league-leading total in games played
and earned his 51st save of the season which finished 2nd to Trevor Hoffman
's 53 but is tied for the 9th highest single-season save total in MLB history. Several Cubs and Giants won awards for their regular season performances including Rookie of the Year honors for Kerry Wood
, a Silver Slugger Award for Sosa, and a Rawlings Gold Glove Award
for J.T. Snow. Sosa also won the Most Valuable Player award, earning 30 out of 32 first place votes (with McGwire taking the remaining 2).
Barry Bonds drew criticism after the game for his poor performance, including twice making an out with the bases loaded, with some suggesting that Bonds often played poorly in "big games". Bonds' 0–4 performance with an RBI and a strikeout earned him a −.186 win probability added
(WPA), the lowest figure for any player in the game. WPA is a statistic which takes the game situation into account to quantify how a player altered his team's chances of winning. Bonds' figure translates into decreasing the Giants' chances of success by 18.6%. The book Game of Shadows
, which details Bonds' suggested use of performance enhancing drugs (PED), argues that Bonds grew jealous and resentful of the attention Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were given during their record chase. As a result, according to Game of Shadows, Bonds turned to weight training under Greg Anderson
who began providing him with steroids and other PEDs following the 1998 season.
One-game playoff
A one-game playoff, sometimes known as a pennant playoff or play-in game, is a tiebreaker in certain sports—usually but not always professional—to determine which of two teams, tied in the final standings, will qualify for a post-season tournament...
to decide the winner of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's (MLB) National League Wild Card
Major League Baseball Wild Card
In Major League Baseball, the wild-card playoff spot is given to the team in each league with the best record among the non-division winners. It was established for Major League Baseball's playoffs in 1994 with the intention of helping the best teams that did not win their division to still have a...
. The game took place on September 28, 1998, between the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
of the National League Central
National League Central
The National League Central Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the Western Division and three teams from the Eastern Division of the National League...
and the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
of the National League West
National League West
The National League Western Division, or NL West, is one of the three divisions of Major League Baseball's National League. It was created in 1969 when the previously undivided National League expanded its membership to twelve teams, positioning half of them in an Eastern division and the other...
at Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
. It was necessary after both teams finished the season with records of 89–73. The Cubs won a coin flip late in the season which, by rule at the time, awarded them home field for the game.
The Cubs won the game 5–3, holding the Giants scoreless for the majority of the game until the Giants threatened heavily in the ninth inning and scored all three of their runs. This victory advanced the Cubs to the 1998 National League Division Series
1998 National League Division Series
-Houston Astros vs. San Diego Padres:-Game 1, September 30:Turner Field in Atlanta, GeorgiaThe Braves faced the Chicago Cubs, who made it into the playoffs by beating the San Francisco Giants in a tiebreaker for the Wild Card spot. The Braves had sixteen more regular season wins and it showed in...
(NLDS) where they were swept by the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, ending the Cubs' season. In baseball statistics
Baseball statistics
Statistics play an important role in summarizing baseball performance and evaluating players in the sport.Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itself to easy record-keeping and statistics...
the tie-breaker counted as the 163rd regular season game for both teams, with all events in the game added to regular season statistics.
Background
The Chicago Cubs finished the previous season at the bottom of the Central division with a 68–94 record while the Giants won the West at 90–72, though were defeated by the eventual 1997 World Series1997 World Series
-Game 1:Saturday, October 18, 1997 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, FloridaThe first World Series game in the state of Florida, Game 1 featured a youngster and a veteran facing each other on the mound...
champion Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
in the NLDS
1997 National League Division Series
-Houston Astros vs. Atlanta Braves:-San Francisco vs. Florida:The San Francisco Giants made it back to the postseason for the first time since the 1989 World Series. The Florida Marlins were in the postseason for the first time ever.-Game 1, September 30:...
. The Giants' Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds...
drew criticism for his postseason performance, which had been a recurring criticism dating back to his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
. The Cubs made several offseason acquisitions following the 1997 season including trading Doug Glanville
Doug Glanville
Douglas Metunwa Glanville is a former American Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and the Texas Rangers....
for second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
Mickey Morandini
Mickey Morandini
Michael Robert "Mickey" Morandini is a former All-Star second baseman who played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball, and the current manager of the A-level Williamsport Crosscutters...
along with signing Jeff Blauser
Jeff Blauser
Jeffrey Michael Blauser is a former Major League Baseball shortstop. He played for the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs from 1987 to 1999.-Career:...
and Henry Rodriguez
Henry Rodriguez
Henry Anderson Rodríguez Lorenzo is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, and Florida Marlins from 1992 to 2002.Rodríguez was a member of the 1996 National League All-Star team as a member of the Expos,...
as free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
s.
One notable event of the 1998 season was the race for the home run title and Roger Maris
Roger Maris
Roger Eugene Maris was an American Major League Baseball right fielder. During the 1961 season, he hit a record 61 home runs for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs...
' single-season record of 61 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s between the Cubs' Sammy Sosa
Sammy Sosa
Samuel Peralta "Sammy" Sosa is a Dominican former professional baseball right fielder. Sosa played with four Major League Baseball teams over his career which spanned from 1989-2007....
and the Cardinals' Mark McGwire
Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire , nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St...
. McGwire ultimately won, setting a new record of 70 while Sosa closed the season with 66. Bonds would top their totals with 73 home runs in 2001, setting the current record, while McGwire and Sosa's totals remain the second and third highest figures in MLB history. Additionally, three teams finished the 1998 season within one game of one another in the race for the National League Wild Card: the Cubs, Giants, and New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
. This late-season race included a dramatic Cubs loss to the Brewers on September 23. The Cubs led 7–5 with two outs and the bases loaded
Bases loaded
In the sport of baseball, the bases are loaded when there is a runner on each base . This presents a great scoring opportunity for the batting team, but it also presents an easy double play opportunity for the defense. Causing the bases to become loaded is called loading the bases...
for the Brewers in the bottom of the ninth inning when Brant Brown
Brant Brown
Brant Michael Brown is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is currently the hitting coach for the Frisco RoughRiders.Brown attended Monache High School and Fresno State University....
dropped a fly ball, allowing three unearned runs to score on his error
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
and losing the Cubs the game. This loss gained notoriety for announcer and former-Cub Ron Santo
Ron Santo
Ronald Edward Santo was an American professional baseball player and long-time radio sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball from 1960 to 1974, most notably as the third baseman for the Chicago Cubs. A nine-time All-Star, he was a powerful hitter who was also a good defensive...
's call of the final play, yelling "Oh, no!" as the final runs scored.
The Mets were tied with the Cubs and Giants in the Wild Card race as late in the season as September 25 at 88–72. However, the Mets lost their remaining two games and finished their season one game back of the Cubs and Giants who ended tied at 89–73. This record was also the best non-division-winning record and as such a tie-breaker was necessary to determine the Wild Card winner. A coin flip on September 14 gave the Cubs' home field advantage, setting Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
as the location for the game. In the event of a three-way tie the Cubs were presented with the choice to either host two home games or receive a bye and play the winner of a Mets-Giants game on the road because they had the best combined record against the Mets and Giants. Cubs' general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
Ed Lynch decided on the second option, though the choice was moot as the Mets fell out of the race. The Cubs' Steve Trachsel
Steve Trachsel
Stephen Christopher Trachsel , nicknamed "The Human Rain Delay", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is known for the long amount of time he takes to deliver the ball to home plate in between pitches. Games in which he pitches are known to be considerably longer than most games, leading...
and Mark Gardner of the Giants were slated to start
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
the tie-breaker on the September 28.
Game summary
Box score (baseball)
In baseball, the statistical summary of a game is reported in a box score. An abbreviated version of the box score, duplicated from the field scoreboard, is the line score...
for Monday September 28, 1998—7:10 p.m. (CT) at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois
The game remained scoreless in the early innings, with only two baserunners apiece for each team through the first three innings. The Giants loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the 4th inning, but Brian Johnson struck out
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
to end the inning. The first runs of the game came in the top of the 5th as Henry Rodriguez singled to lead off the inning and scored on a home run by Gary Gaetti
Gary Gaetti
Gary Joseph Gaetti , nicknamed "G-Man", "Rat", or "Zorn" is an American former third baseman in Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins , California Angels , Kansas City Royals , St...
to give the Cubs a 2–0 lead. The Cubs threatened again in the next inning with singles
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
by Lance Johnson
Lance Johnson
Kenneth Lance Johnson is a retired Major League Baseball player. At the age of 24, Johnson broke into the big leagues on July 10, 1987, with the St. Louis Cardinals after being drafted by them in the 6th round of the 1984 amateur draft. In 1987 Johnson, playing for the Louisville Redbirds, was...
and Sammy Sosa
Sammy Sosa
Samuel Peralta "Sammy" Sosa is a Dominican former professional baseball right fielder. Sosa played with four Major League Baseball teams over his career which spanned from 1989-2007....
. Rich Rodriguez
Rich Rodriguez
Richard A. "Rich" Rodriguez is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Arizona. Rodriguez previously served as the head football coach at Salem University , Glenville State College , West Virginia University , and the University...
relieved Gardner, but loaded the bases with a walk
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
to Mark Grace and allowed a single to Matt Mieske
Matt Mieske
Matthew Todd Mieske is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball who played from to for the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros and Arizona Diamondbacks.-External links:...
which scored two more runs and extended the Cubs' lead to 4–0. John Johnstone
John Johnstone (baseball)
John William Johnstone , is a professional baseball player who played pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1993 to 2000. He played for the Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Oakland Athletics, and San Francisco Giants....
relieved Rodriguez and closed the inning without further scoring.
After getting one out in the top of the 7th, Steve Trachsel allowed a single and a walk to pinch hitter
Pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...
s Brent Mayne
Brent Mayne
Brent Danem Mayne is a former Major League Baseball catcher who has played with the Kansas City Royals , New York Mets , Oakland Athletics , San Francisco Giants , Colorado Rockies , Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers...
and Armando Rios
Armando Ríos
Armando Ríos is a 5' 9", 185 lb. left-handed outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1998 through 2003....
respectively. The Cubs double switched, bringing in Matt Karchner
Matt Karchner
Matthew Dean Karchner , is a former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from 1995-2000....
to relieve Trachsel and Orlando Merced
Orlando Merced
Orlando Luis Merced Villanueva is a former Major League Baseball first Baseman and outfielder. He played all or part of thirteen seasons in the majors for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Toronto Blue Jays , Minnesota Twins , Boston Red Sox , Chicago Cubs , Montreal Expos , and Houston Astros...
to play left field. Karchner induced another out before loading the bases on a single by Shawon Dunston
Shawon Dunston
Shawon Donnell Dunston is a former shortstop and right-handed batter in Major League Baseball. He resides in Fremont, CA. He was the first overall pick in the 1982 MLB draft by the Chicago Cubs, and played for the Cubs , San Francisco Giants , Pittsburgh Pirates , Cleveland Indians , St...
. Felix Heredia
Félix Heredia
Félix Heredia Pérez is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher who currently plays for Dorados de Chihuahua of the Mexican League. On October 18, 2005, he became the 11th MLB player to be suspended for testing positive for steroids...
entered in relief of Karchner and got Barry Bonds to ground out to first base to end the inning. The Cubs further extended their lead in the bottom of the 8th inning. After Alvin Morman
Alvin Morman
Alvin Morman is an American former Major League Baseball player. A pitcher, Morman played for the Houston Astros in 1996, Cleveland Indians in 1997 and 1998, San Francisco Giants also in 1998, and Kansas City Royals in 1999...
got Morandini to strike out to open the inning the Giants double switched to bring in José Mesa
José Mesa
José Ramón Nova Mesa [MAY-sah] is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. His nickname was "Joe Table," the literal translation of his name in the English language....
to pitch and Bill Mueller
Bill Mueller
William Richard Mueller is a former Major League Baseball third baseman. Mueller's playing career was spent with the San Francisco Giants , Chicago Cubs , Boston Red Sox , and Los Angeles Dodgers . He won the American League batting title in 2003, and helped the Red Sox win the 2004 World Series...
at third base. Mesa allowed a single to Sammy Sosa and a double
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
to Mark Grace which advanced Sosa to third. Following a ground out Mesa threw a wild pitch
Wild pitch
In baseball, a wild pitch is charged against a pitcher when his pitch is too high, too short, or too wide of home plate for the catcher to control with ordinary effort, thereby allowing a baserunner, perhaps even the batter-runner on strike three or ball four, to advance.A wild pitch usually...
while facing Gaetti and Sosa scored to make the game 5–0.
The Giants responded in the top of the 9th, scoring their only runs of the game. Kevin Tapani
Kevin Tapani
Kevin Ray Tapani is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and Chicago Cubs from 1989 to 2001.-Early life:...
allowed successive singles to Brent Mayne
Brent Mayne
Brent Danem Mayne is a former Major League Baseball catcher who has played with the Kansas City Royals , New York Mets , Oakland Athletics , San Francisco Giants , Colorado Rockies , Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers...
and Mueller to open the inning before Terry Mulholland
Terry Mulholland
Terence John Mulholland is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He threw left-handed and batted right-handed.-Early and personal life:...
relieved him. Stan Javier
Stan Javier
Stanley Julián Antonio Javier [hah-ve-ERR] is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and switch-hitter who played with the New York Yankees , Oakland Athletics , Los Angeles Dodgers , Philadelphia Phillies , California Angels , San Francisco Giants , Houston...
singled to score Mayne and Ellis Burks
Ellis Burks
Ellis Rena Burks is a former outfielder and designated hitter who played in Major League Baseball for 18 seasons...
then walked to load the bases. Bonds came to bat with the bases for the second time in the game and lined out to deep right field, scoring Mueller on a sacrifice fly
Sacrifice fly
In baseball, a sacrifice fly is a batted ball that satisfies four criteria:* There are fewer than two outs when the ball is hit.* The ball is hit to the outfield....
and Javier advanced to third base. Rod Beck
Rod Beck
Rodney Roy "Rod" Beck nicknamed "Shooter", was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the San Francisco Giants , Chicago Cubs , Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres...
entered and got successive outs by Jeff Kent
Jeff Kent
Jeffrey Franklin Kent is a retired Major League Baseball second baseman. Kent won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 2000 with the San Francisco Giants, and is the all-time leader in home runs among second basemen...
, which scored Javier, and Joe Carter
Joe Carter
Joseph Christopher Carter is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball who played from to . Carter is most famous for hitting a walk-off home run to win the 1993 World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays....
to end the game 5–3 for the Cubs.
Aftermath
Chicago's win clinched the team's 15th postseason berth in franchise history, their first in 9 years since losing in the 1989 National League Championship Series1989 National League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 4, 1989 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IllinoisThe Giants entered the series as slight favorites due to the MVP season of Kevin Mitchell, the solid play of Will Clark, and the best ERA in baseball by pitcher Scott Garrelts...
. The Cubs' presence in the postseason, playing for a spot in the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
, led several sportswriters to reference the Curse of the Billy Goat
Curse of the Billy Goat
The curse of the Billy Goat was supposedly placed on the Chicago Cubs in 1945 when Billy Goat Tavern owner Billy Sianis was asked to leave a World Series game against the Detroit Tigers at the Cubs' home ground of Wrigley Field because his pet goat's odor was bothering other fans...
and the difficulties the Cubs' had faced since 1945. The Billy Goat story suggests that Billy Sianis
Billy Sianis
William Sianis , better known as Billy Sianis , was a Chicago, Illinois tavern owner, who went on to become part of baseball lore because of the famed Curse of the Billy Goat he supposedly put on the Chicago Cubs after he and his goat were tossed out of game four of the 1945 World...
cursed the Cubs after he and his goat were asked to leave game four of the 1945 World Series
1945 World Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 3, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan-Game 2:Thursday, October 4, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan-Game 3:Friday, October 5, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan...
. The playoff berth matched the Cubs with the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
in the NLDS, where the Cubs were swept three games to none. The Cubs have not made the World Series since 1945 and have not won a title since 1908.
In baseball statistics
Baseball statistics
Statistics play an important role in summarizing baseball performance and evaluating players in the sport.Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itself to easy record-keeping and statistics...
tie-breakers count as regular season games, with all events in them added to regular season statistics. For example, the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
noted that Sammy Sosa could have added to his notable home run total in the game. Sosa did add to his league-leading strikeout total with one in the 4th inning. Beck also added to his league-leading total in games played
Games played
Games played is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated ; the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested.-Baseball:In baseball, the statistic applies also to players who, prior to a game,...
and earned his 51st save of the season which finished 2nd to Trevor Hoffman
Trevor Hoffman
Trevor William Hoffman is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. During his 18-year career from 1993 to 2010, he pitched for the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, and the Milwaukee Brewers, spending years of his career with the Padres. A long-time closer, he is the Major...
's 53 but is tied for the 9th highest single-season save total in MLB history. Several Cubs and Giants won awards for their regular season performances including Rookie of the Year honors for Kerry Wood
Kerry Wood
Kerry Lee Wood is a National Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Wood recorded over 200 strikeouts in four out of his first five seasons, with a high of 266 in 2003....
, a Silver Slugger Award for Sosa, and a Rawlings Gold Glove Award
Rawlings Gold Glove Award
The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in both the National League and the American League , as voted by the...
for J.T. Snow. Sosa also won the Most Valuable Player award, earning 30 out of 32 first place votes (with McGwire taking the remaining 2).
Barry Bonds drew criticism after the game for his poor performance, including twice making an out with the bases loaded, with some suggesting that Bonds often played poorly in "big games". Bonds' 0–4 performance with an RBI and a strikeout earned him a −.186 win probability added
Win Probability Added
Win probability added is a sport statistic which attempts to measure a player's contribution to a win by figuring the factor by which each specific play made by that player has altered the outcome of a game...
(WPA), the lowest figure for any player in the game. WPA is a statistic which takes the game situation into account to quantify how a player altered his team's chances of winning. Bonds' figure translates into decreasing the Giants' chances of success by 18.6%. The book Game of Shadows
Game of Shadows
Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal that Rocked Professional Sports is a bestselling non-fiction book published on March 23, 2006 and written by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, reporters for the San Francisco Chronicle...
, which details Bonds' suggested use of performance enhancing drugs (PED), argues that Bonds grew jealous and resentful of the attention Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were given during their record chase. As a result, according to Game of Shadows, Bonds turned to weight training under Greg Anderson
Greg Anderson (trainer)
Greg F. Anderson is a former personal trainer, best known for his work with Barry Bonds, and links with BALCO.-Early life:...
who began providing him with steroids and other PEDs following the 1998 season.