It wasn’t a thing of beauty, but new catcher Scott Servais got the first stolen base of his seven-year professional career–and got a chuckle from umpire Bruce Froemming for his efforts.
Servais was running on a 3-2 pitch with nobody out in the fifth inning when No. 8 hitter Rey Sanchez struck out. Catcher Tom Pagnozzi came up throwing, but Servais made it into second in a cloud of dust with more of a tumble than a slide.
“Come on. It was a graceful hook slide,” said Servais, laughing at himself. “Bruce Froemming looked down at me and just shook his head. “I knew exactly what he was thinking. He got a good laugh out of it.”
Good luck charm: Shawon Dunston was walking around the locker room before the game wearing a jersey that once belonged to San Francisco Giants slugger Matt Williams. Center-fielder Brian McRae bought the jersey at an auction. When it came time to change into his own uniform, Dunston chanted to the jersey: “Come on, Mattie, help me out. I want to go 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs.” Dunston went 3-for-4 with a double and no RBIs.
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Gone: As expected, outfielder Kevin Roberson was the odd man out in the two-for-one trade that brought Servais and Luis Gonzalez to the Cubs. Roberson was designated for assignment, which means the Cubs have 10 days to trade him, release him or clear him through waivers and send him to the minors. “They told me several teams are interested and I’ll probably get traded,” said Roberson, who was drafted by the Cubs in 1988.
All-stars: Outfielder Brooks Kieschnick and infielder Todd Haney of the Iowa Cubs were named to the Triple-A All-Star team.