Professional football has clearly overtaken Major League Baseball as the most popular sport in American society. However, Saturday night’s Stros-Cubs game is an example of why the appeal of Major League Baseball will endure through the ages regardless of its place in the pecking order of popular sports popularity.
Let’s set the stage. The Stros’ Brandon Backe is an obscure 26 year old from Galveston who began his professional baseball career as an outfielder in the Devil Ray organization. After converting to a pitcher, Backe was rushed through the thin Devil Ray minor league system as a relief pitcher and was never given adequate time to develop as a pitcher.
After coming over to the Stros in the Geoff Blum trade before this season, Backe toiled ineffectively in the Stros’ bullpen for a short time during the first part of the season. However, the Stros’ management decided that Backe’s underdevelopment in the Devil Rays’ system had finally caught up with him, and so they sent him down to AAA New Orleans to become a starter there and pitch every fourth day. Backe pitched well this season at New Orleans, and the Stros recalled him recently when Andy Pettitte decided to have season ending elbow surgery. Saturday night’s game was his first start in Major League Baseball.
On the other hand, the Cubs’ Mark Prior, 24, is unquestionably one of the best young players in all of Major League Baseball. Prior has impeccable pitching mechanics, tremendous control, and a 96 m.p.h. heater. During the 2003 season, Prior was 18-6 and arguably the best pitcher in the National League. Barring injury, Prior will likely be the best pitcher in the National League over the next decade.
Moreover, the Cubs are legitimate contenders for the National League Wildcard Playoff spot and are coming off Friday night’s game in which they made two Stros’ pitching staff members look like batting practice pitchers. The Stros are 5 1/2 games back in the Wild Card race and realistically, are playing out the string on the 2004 season.
Given that backdrop, Saturday night’s Stros-Cubs game looked like a classic mismatch — the Cubs’ Prior versus the Stros’ Backe, who was starting his first game in Major League Baseball. To make matters worse, the Stros’ bullpen was not available to bail Backe out after having been used heavily over the past three games in which the Stros had given up 27 runs.
So, what happens? Backe pitches seven shutout innings and hits a two run single off of Prior to stake the Stros to a 2-0 lead over the Cubs after seven innings.
Then, after Miceli and Lidge blew the save, the Stros came back with two runs in the bottom of the ninth to pull out a stirring 4-3 win over the Cubs.
As the oldtimers say, “That’s why you play the game.”
Backe was magnificant, giving up only four hits and three walks in seven innings. He baffled the Cubs’ hitters by throwing a lively 92 m.p.h. heater mixed with a slow and hard curve, and a hard slider.
Viz and Jason Lane were the Stros’ heros in the bottom of the ninth along with the Cubs’ Macias, who contributed a key throwing error that put the tying and winning runs in scoring position. After Macias’ miscue, Viz tied it with a single and then Lane — who had come into the game for Bidg in the top of the ninth as a defensive replacement — won it with a single to right as the Stros’ dugout and the Juice Box crowd went bananas.
As my 16 year old son and I walked away from the Juice Box after the game, he turned to me and said, “Dad, it doesn’t get any better than that.”
Amen.
The Stros’ Roy O and the Cubs’ Kerry Wood tangle in an attractive rubber game on Sunday afternoon, but they will have to be in top form to compete with the Backe-Prior matchup from Saturday night’s game. The Phillies come to town on Monday for a three game set with the Rocket opening that series for the Stros.