Marlins catch Cubs
CHICAGO (REUTERS) — Miguel Cabrera homered and drove in four runs and Josh Beckett pitched four solid innings of relief to lead the wildcard Florida Marlins past the Chicago Cubs 9-6 Wednesday, giving the Marlins the National League pennant.
Florida won the best-of-seven series 4-3 to clinch its second NL pennant since its inception in 1993.
The Cubs and their long-suffering fans endured yet another heartbreak as they lost the final two games of the series at Wrigley Field.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to go to the World Series,” 72-year-old Florida manager Jack McKeon said. “I have to thank God for the opportunity Jeffrey Loria (team owner) gave me.
“He gave me a great group of guys here.”
McKeon was hired by Loria early in the season after the Marlins struggled to get going.
The team went on to overtake the Philadelphia Phillies for the wildcard berth, then stunned defending NL champion San Francisco Giants in the Divisional Series before beating the Cubs.
“The credit for all of this goes to the players,” Loria said in a champagne-drenched Florida locker room. “They did a great job.”
The Cubs have gone longer than any other major American professional sports franchise without winning a championship. Their last World Series win was in 1908, and their last NL pennant came in 1945.
Florida is off to the World Series for the second time, winning the title in 1997. They will travel to either New York or Boston for Game One Saturday.
Ivan Rodriguez was named the NLCS MVP. He hit .321 with two home runs and an NLCS record 10 RBI.
“I’m very happy for my team; nobody expected us to be in the World Series,” Rodriguez said.
“We played great in the postseason, and that’s what matters.”
Roaring back
Beckett allowed just one run on one hit over four innings with three strikeouts and no walks to get the win.
Cabrera hit a three-run homer in the first inning off Chicago starter Kerry Wood, but the Cubs roared back to take a 5-3 lead thanks to two-run homers by Wood in the second and Moises Alou in the third, sending the fans at Wrigley Field into a frenzy.
But Florida’s offense took over, as the Marlins scored three runs in the fifth to take the lead again before adding a single run in the sixth and two more in the seventh to take a 9-5 lead.
Troy O’Leary’s solo homer in the seventh narrowed the deficit, but Chicago could get no closer and was handed yet another demoralizing defeat.
“Our guys battled and fought. I have nothing bad to say about them,” Chicago manager Dusty Baker said.
“I’m disappointed … very disappointed. But life is full of disappointments.”
Alex Gonzalez drove in two runs for the Marlins, while Jeff Conine had three hits and scored a pair of runs.
Wood was the loser, going 5 and two-thirds innings and allowing seven runs on seven hits.