Reed Johnson's Big Slide - Cubs Beat Brewers
Posted By: Stonecipher
July 29, 2008
We’ve already got Glen Alan Hill keeping track of the my beloved Chicago Cubs here at The Stonecipher Report, but after last night’s game against C.C. Sabathia and the Milwaukee Brewers I had to personally write a post to say congratulations to the Cubs.
In the grand scheme of things last night’s contest may not make a huge difference, but for a regular season game it was of the most well-played baseball games I've seen all year - by both sides. It also marked the first time since superstar pitcher C.C. Sabathia has been a Milwaukee Brewer that the Brew Crew has lost a game he has pitched.
Any game in which the balance is tipped by a good, technically sound slide into second base on a force play is a great game to me. And that is exactly what happened, when Cubs outfielder, Reed Johnson, slid hard and clean into Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks in the seventh inning.
In the Cubs half of the 7th inning, with one out and bases loaded and the Cubs trailing 2 - 3, first baseman Derrek Lee hit a ground ball to Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy that appeared to be an inning ending double play. But, with Reed Johnson hustling towards second he slid in hard as Weeks received the throw from Hardy. Johnson’s slide knocked Weeks off balance causing him to make an errant throw, which not only led to Derrek Lee safely reaching first, but to two runs scoring as well, making it 4 - 3 in favor of the Cubs.
The final score ended up 6 - 4 Cubs, but the Johnson slide gave the Cubs a lead at a crucial point in the game and significantly changed the psychology of the game. As Lee put it after the game "that’s just good, hustle baseball."
So give credit to Derrek Lee for his go-ahead RBI double (to go along with his 3-for-5 performance), but give Reed Johnson credit for giving Lee that chance.
On a final note, it was fantastic to see new arrival Chad Goudin and closer Carlos Marmol throw as well as they did last night, but it was even better to watch the Cubs offense force the Brewers closer Salomon Torres to throw 39 pitches.
I couldn’t think of a better way for the Chicago Cubs to start off an important, four-game series with their division rival, the Milwaukee Brewers.
For more on last night’s game, click here for the Cubs.com wrap up.
