CHICAGO - The Chicago Cubs celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first game at Wrigley Field in the most appropriate way.
With another gut-wrenching loss.
The Cubs entered the ninth inning with a three-run lead and were one out from victory when they collapsed this time. After an error by shortstop Starlin Castro, the Arizona Diamondbacks rallied for five runs in the ninth to beat the Cubs 7-5 Wednesday.
“That one finished not like we would have wanted, obviously,” Cubs Manager Rick Renteria said. “It seemed like the inning kept opening up, and we weren’t able to end up in the end putting a stop to it.”
Martin Prado hit a two-run single off Pedro Strop (0-2), Miguel Montero had a tying single against James Russell and Aaron Hill followed with a two-run triple off Justin Grimm.
The beloved ballpark, the second-oldest in the major leagues behind 102-yearold Fenway Park in Boston, opened on April 23, 1914, when the Federal League’s Chicago Federals beat the Kansas CityPackers 9-1.
Fans sang “Happy Birthday” in the middle of the fifth inning Wednesday. The Cubs wore Federals uniforms, and the Diamondbacks wore Kansas City Packers threads.
The Cubs moved into the Friendly Confines in 1916, after the Federal League folded, and have established a tradition of beloved losers. The Cubs’ only World Series titles came in 1907 and 1908, when they played at the West Side Grounds, and they haven’t reached the World Series since 1945.
Still, the Cubs are 4,076-3,621 (.530) during the regular season at Wrigley, according to STATS, and 7-20 in the postseason. Chicago failed in its bid to win three consecutive games for the first time since last July 26-28.
“Big day out there. You want to show up, have a good turnout for the fans and former players in the crowd,” Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija said.
Before a crowd of 32,323 - about 9,000 less than capacity - the Cubs led 5-2 in the ninth. Strop walked Chris Owings on four pitches and Castro allowed Tony Campana’s grounder to kick off his glove for an error. Castro tried to keep his left leg on second as he retrieved the ball, and second base umpire Brian O’Nora called the sliding Owings safe - a decision confirmed by the replay umpire in New York.
Pinch-hitter Eric Chavez walked on a full count, loading the bases, and Gerardo Parra struck out. Prado’s bouncer up the middle bounded off second base, eluding second baseman Darwin Barney and kicking into short right-center field as the Diamondbacks closed to 5-4. Strop struck out Paul Goldschmidt for the second out.
Montero fouled off a 2-2 pitch, took a ball, and then lined a tying single to right. Hill blooped a ball down the right-field line and Justin Ruggiano injured his left hamstring as he tried for a sliding catch near the foul line and the bullpen mound. He needed assistance to leave the field and was replaced by Ryan Kalish.
Samardzija allowed 2 runs and 7 hits in 7 1/3 innings and is winless in 11 starts since beating San Diego on Aug. 24. He was supported by Ruggiano’s two-run home run in the sixth and a three-run fifth.
Trevor Cahill (1-4) pitched two scoreless innings for Arizona, which ended a four game losing streak, and Addison Reed earned his fourth save as the Cubs went quietly in a 1-2-3 ninth.
Sports, Pages 21 on 04/24/2014