A game which lasts a whopping six and a half hours will feature some oddities. The biggest one of all may be seeing catcher John Baker show up in the pitching stat sheet.
Baker, the backup catcher for the Cubs, had to come onto the mound in relief duty in the sixteenth inning of what turned into an early Wednesday morning game against the Colorado Rockies. Baker not only managed to pitch a scoreless inning and secure the win but he also scored the winning run off of a sacrifice fly by Starlin Carlos.
Baker hadn’t pitched since he was in the Cape Cod League and he utilized some 70 mph heat to induce his outs.
After he scored the winning run, the fans who had actually stuck around for the longest game in Chicago Cubs history were cheering his name:
“The last time that many people cheered, it was because I got booed at Dodger Stadium after we got in a fight with the Dodgers,” Baker said. “That was the loudest crowd I’ve ever heard. That was sad, because they were booing me, and this one I was happy, because they were chanting my name.
“Any Chicagoans dream is to be standing at home plate with the remaining people at Wrigley Field chanting your name. It’s something I’ll never forget.”
Baker is now 1-0 on the year.
