The Top 20 Cub HR Of All Time - #9 Sammy Sosa 10/7/2003

by Al Yellon on Feb 4, 2008 7:30 AM CST in Baseball Stories

Sammy becomes the second player to have two entries on this list, after Kerry Wood. Hint: he won't be the last.

This home run, which tied game 1 of the NLCS with two out in the bottom of the ninth, I think made Wrigley Field as loud as I had ever heard it. And it may have been louder then than it was eight days later when Kerry Wood hit the HR in game 7.

The Cubs had blown a 4-0 first inning lead when Miguel Cabrera, Ivan Rodriguez and Juan Encarnacion all homered off Carlos Zambrano, taking a 5-4 lead in the third. The Marlins extended the lead to 6-4 in the sixth; Alex Gonzalez slammed a two-run HR to tie the game in the bottom of the inning. It stayed that way till the top of the 9th when the usually reliable Mark Grudzielanek made an error which helped lead to a two-run Marlins rally off Joe Borowski (one of the runs being unearned).

That set the stage for Sosa's heroics. If Grudzielanek hadn't made that error, Sosa's HR would have won the game, and this HR might rank even higher on this list.

If only.

Mike Lowell homered off Mark Guthrie leading off the 11th; that sucked all the air out of the ballpark in a game that wound up lasting three hours and forty-four minutes. Braden Looper finished off the Cubs in a 1-2-3 last of the 11th, but at the time, it didn't seem so bad. It was just game one of a seven-game series, after all.

Oh, well. No need to replay the rest of that series, right? You can watch video of this HR here.

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Sammy

I know Sammy take a lot of stuff from many of us - but he hit some nice HR's for the Cubs in his years and provided some real excitement!

Sam-my, Sam-my, Sam-my, Sam-my

Aug 15 - Ted Lilly walked by the lineup card and said to nobody in particular "I can't believe I'm batting 9th again".

by mweil on Feb 4, 2008 8:25 AM CST reply actions

Even worse to think about -

had the Cubs won this game they would have wrapped up a Series sweep on Saturday night in Miami giving them a week off before facing the Yankees. Then Baker's absurd use of Prior in the game two blowout wouldn't have been a factor.

by TR on Feb 4, 2008 8:34 AM CST reply actions

100% agreed.

n/t

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Feb 4, 2008 9:45 AM CST up reply actions

This Call...

... by Brenneman was awesome. He always did a great job at calling these, as if though he already saw the script for it and knew it was coming. You have Lyons in the background acting like Ronny, yelling "He Did It! He Did It!".

Boy was that exciting. Although I was hoping Sammy would do it, I honestly didn't think he would. Although Sammy did it, I honestly then believed we would win the game.

Oh, and by the way Thom Brenneman, Sammy hit that one to left field, not right.

This is the Cubs new #1!

by initram on Feb 4, 2008 9:42 AM CST reply actions

Al, Didn't want to start another diary

Any word on SBN 2.0? Any beta sites up and running that folks can check out? Thanks.

"Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?"

by Jettero2112 on Feb 4, 2008 11:23 AM CST reply actions

Nothing official yet.

Will let everyone know the moment I do.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Feb 4, 2008 11:28 AM CST up reply actions

OT: Brewers tickets

Just wondering if anybody knows when single game tickets in milwaukee go on sale? i cant seem to find it on their site anywhere. i am really interested in seeing the cubs in milwaukee at the end of july? thanks.

*diehard cubs fan from northern manitoba, canada

by hoppy91 on Feb 4, 2008 11:27 AM CST reply actions

Anyone have anymore...

links to videos from 2003? Specifically Sosa's blast onto the camera booth.

Jon Leuer owns you.

by Schwa on Feb 4, 2008 12:40 PM CST reply actions

...and I Mean Looong Ball!

Some folks have mentioned that this link has not worked for them, but it has for me. It opens the video clip of Sosa's homer onto the camera booth in RealPlayer.

rtsp:/a592.v108693.c10869.g.vr.akamaistream.net/ondemand/7/592/10869/v0001/mlb.download.akamai.com 10869/mlb/open/2003/topplays/video/archive10/demand/03nlcs_gm2_flochn_sosa_hr_300.rm?ct1=mlb

If this doesn't work for you, perhaps try youtube?

This is the Cubs new #1!

by initram on Feb 4, 2008 1:46 PM CST up reply actions

that was great

I always thought it was kinda funny that Mike Lowell was the guy to hit the game winning HR. I remember at one point during the season when there was talk of the Cubs trading for him. That guy that we got instead of him turned out to be pretty solid though :)

AC 00 00 00 - BELIEVE

by mike @ Bleed Cubbie Blue on Feb 4, 2008 12:56 PM CST reply actions

I was at the game..

Before the bottom of the 9th my wife looks at me and says "what do you think? She alwas wants to leave early to beat the crowd. I was sooo mad! I said to her, "I think we need to get a guy on to get Sammy up there".

I totally agree Al, I've never heard Wrigley louder; before or since.

Reds will finish above the Cubs in the NL Central. Book it.

by wicubfan on Feb 4, 2008 2:33 PM CST reply actions

I was at this game

And even at the time, my friends and I were wondering what Dusty was thinking when he put in Mark Guthrie, who was pretty ineffective throughout the season. Unfortunately, Baker didn't have a deep pen that year, and this game was proof.

Such a disappointment, especially considering how the Cubs had been so hot at the start of the game, scoring a bunch of runs early. They couldn't keep the momentum going.

"Have Keith Moreland drop a routine fly. Give everybody two bags of peanuts and a frosty malt, And I'll be ready to die." -Steve Goodman

by danimal15 on Feb 4, 2008 2:46 PM CST reply actions

Not to mention...

...Lowell took Guthrie deep essentially with one hand, as he was still coming off a wrist injury

For your information, the Supreme Court has roundly rejected prior restraint.

by HoffPowahhh on Feb 4, 2008 8:54 PM CST up reply actions

And needless to say

Another chance for Zambrano to shine in a big game, and he failed. Now he was only 22, and it was a big weight to have on his shoulders starting Game One, but give a guy a 4-0 first inning lead and you'd like to think it's as good as in the win column.

"Have Keith Moreland drop a routine fly. Give everybody two bags of peanuts and a frosty malt, And I'll be ready to die." -Steve Goodman

by danimal15 on Feb 4, 2008 2:52 PM CST reply actions

Another list idea

Al,

You should run a list of the most devastating homers hit against the Cubs. Here's the worst I can think of:

Steve Garvey - Game Four, 1984 NLCS

"Have Keith Moreland drop a routine fly. Give everybody two bags of peanuts and a frosty malt, And I'll be ready to die." -Steve Goodman

by danimal15 on Feb 4, 2008 2:56 PM CST reply actions

Chris Young.......

NLDS game 2
NLDS game 3

Not the most devistating of all time, but stings when looking back at both. I'd probably put them both in the top 20.

BELIEVE!

by cubbie08 on Feb 4, 2008 3:10 PM CST up reply actions

Definitely

And for old time's sake, in a meaningless game, you can add Mike Schmidt's game-winner in the 23-22 game.

"Have Keith Moreland drop a routine fly. Give everybody two bags of peanuts and a frosty malt, And I'll be ready to die." -Steve Goodman

by danimal15 on Feb 4, 2008 3:56 PM CST up reply actions

Another bad one

Game One - 1989 NLCS: Will Clark's grand slam off of Greg Maddux in the 4th inning puts the Giants ahead 8-3 in a game they'd go on to win 11-3. Really set the tone for that series.

"Have Keith Moreland drop a routine fly. Give everybody two bags of peanuts and a frosty malt, And I'll be ready to die." -Steve Goodman

by danimal15 on Feb 4, 2008 4:15 PM CST up reply actions

Bad HR

This year: The one off Big Z in the game that pitted him vs. Chris Young. They were each pitching 1-hitters or something like that and then boom Z gives up a HR and Cubs lose 1-0. I really wanted to win that game.

Aug 15 - Ted Lilly walked by the lineup card and said to nobody in particular "I can't believe I'm batting 9th again".

by mweil on Feb 4, 2008 4:55 PM CST up reply actions

Ugh.

I can't take any more of those. That would be a real depressing series.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al Yellon on Feb 4, 2008 5:11 PM CST up reply actions

Unfortunately.....

its been a depressing 100 yrs (since I'm 30, luckily I missed the first 70).

BELIEVE!

by cubbie08 on Feb 4, 2008 5:24 PM CST up reply actions

Real Depressing

Every so often I get down and WONDER why i care so much about the Cubs. But I do - and for the last 30-some odd years I really do care and i let their success and failure effect me. A tough loss i take to heart and a BIG win adds an extra bounce to my step.

Aug 15 - Ted Lilly walked by the lineup card and said to nobody in particular "I can't believe I'm batting 9th again".

by mweil on Feb 4, 2008 8:58 PM CST up reply actions

I knew it!

This had better been on here. Now numbers 12, 10, and 9 have been seen through this pair of eyes!
I think i dont have anymore...

1st Official Al-Wanna-Be! Feel free to become an Oficial Al-Wanna-Be Today!

by LilLPLancer23 on Feb 4, 2008 3:45 PM CST reply actions

Don't want to start a diary on this

because the only thing more annoying than another Brian Roberts diary is another Mark Cuban diary.

But Mark Cuban gave a short interview to the Sacramento Bee about him and the Cubs.

He talks about his history with the Cubs (not much) how owning the Cubs is different than owning the Mavericks and makes an allusion to how the Cubs could end up on HDNet.

It's a girl! Born 1-18-08. 2246 PST. 8lbs. 1 oz.

by Josh Timmers on Feb 4, 2008 6:49 PM CST reply actions

I was at this game also

if that video clip showed about 5 seconds before it did, i woulda been on tv. I think its impossible to explain the moment the ball hit the bat, knowing it was long gone, nad then watching it fly over my head onto waveland. absolutly unreal.. regardless the outcome, one of the best games i been too. thats the loudest ive seen wrigley, maybe with a couple other instances.
-Walk of walk by Todd Walker to sweep the Sox- 4th of July 04
-A-Ram walk-off against the Brew-Crew

1st Official Al-Wanna-Be! Feel free to become an Oficial Al-Wanna-Be Today!

by LilLPLancer23 on Feb 4, 2008 8:39 PM CST reply actions