All week long, the Cubs refused to complain about jet lag, the 15-hour time difference and the spongy dirt around home plate. This would be like any other Opening Day, they said.
So it figured that when Mets manager Bobby Valentine played the role of a sore loser during Wednesday’s game, the Cubs did not retaliate with insults. They’re too old and savvy for that.
“Too many good things happened in this game,” manager Don Baylor said, “to let that become a distraction.”
Baylor has a point. Starter Jon Lieber gave a superb effort and third baseman Shane Andrews whacked a two-run homer as the Cubs ushered in the new millennium with a 5-3 win over the Mets before a mostly docile crowd of 55,000 at the Tokyo Dome.
Valentine’s theatrics helped make the night as memorable as it was historic. Never before had a regular-season game been played outside North America.
With two outs in the ninth inning and two strikes on Mets first baseman Matt Franco, Valentine decided to play the game under protest. That followed two lengthy delays in which Cubs pitcher Rick Aguilera appeared to grow agitated.
“I better not say a whole lot about it,” Aguilera said. “I don’t want to start something.”
Valentine’s gripe was with the Cubs’ lineup card. Backup shortstop Jeff Huson’s name did not appear on the list of 25 players, leading Valentine to wonder if Huson was on the roster. When Valentine finally examined the card and saw that catcher Jeff Reed’s name had been listed twice, he realized that he had wasted everyone’s time.
“I didn’t want to protest over a silly thing,” he said. “But a game is a major investment for a team and a win is a win.”
The Cubs know all about that. After Aguilera fired a slider past Franco for the third out, the Cubs became the first major-league team to crack the win column. And they did it by beating Mets ace Mike Hampton, who issued a career-high nine walks.
“I don’t think people gave us much of a chance to win this game,” said Mark Grace, who homered in the eighth inning.
“That’s what makes baseball such a great game. It’s not played on paper.”
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No, in this case it was played before a sold-out crowd that didn’t know Jeff Huson from Angelica Huston.
The fans finally perked up in the eighth inning after Sammy Sosa doubled down the left-field line. Or maybe it was the sake kicking in.