The Sandberg Game

I remember this like it was yesterday. (It should warm you up in these rapidly dropping temps. I hear the wind howling already.)

Sandberg actually hit two game-tying HR in this game, both of Hall of Fame closer Bruce Sutter, and if you've seen the replays, one of the indelible images of them is Sutter getting another ball from the umpire after the second one with a look of pure anger and disbelief on his face. Sutter was having one of the best years of his career -- up to June 23, 1984 he had 16 saves in 18 opportunities and a 1.16 ERA.

If I had to choose one of the two HR to be more significant, more stunning, I'd have to choose the second. The first, hit in the ninth inning, led off the inning. The second was hit with two out and Bob Dernier on base, and brought the Cubs back from two runs down. What a lot of you might not remember is that Dernier walked on a 3-2 pitch that was very, very close to being a called third strike -- and that would have ended the game.

The Sandberg Game