Aramis Ramirez hit a game-tying solo homer in the seventh and belted a walk-off shot leading off the ninth to power the Cubs to a 4-3 Interleague victory over their crosstown rivals, the White Sox, and snap a three-game losing streak.
"We needed to win this game," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said.
With the game tied at 3 in the ninth against Scott Linebrink (2-2), Ramirez launched a 1-0 pitch to straightaway center field for the game winner.
"That's part of my job," Ramirez said. "I'm a cleanup hitter, I'm a RBI man, and people expect me to do that. I just concentrate a little more with men in scoring position or a tie ballgame."
"One thing I told [bench coach Alan Trammell] was if [Ramirez] got on base, we weren't going to bunt," Piniella said of the ninth-inning strategy. "We were looking for some extension, and that's exactly what we got."
Kerry Wood (4-1) picked up the win, which improved the Cubs' record to 30-8 at Wrigley Field.
"We have confidence," Piniella said about the home-field advantage. "We've been able to come from behind, and today was no exception. Our big boys got the job done today which was good to see."
The Cubs had sent starter Ted Lilly back to Chicago on Thursday, while the rest of the team didn't get home until early Friday morning after a three-game series against Tampa Bay. Wrigley's real grass felt good after six straight games on artificial turf, and the 31-minute rain delay before first pitch gave the players a little more nap time.
Friday's win was just what the Cubs needed.
"We'd lost three in a row, we got back home late, but our guys dug in and hung in there. And we got good pitching, and that was a key," Piniella said. "We didn't allow the White Sox to tack on runs, and that was a key."
This was a showdown between the leaders of their respective Central Divisions. This is the first time the two teams have been in first place for the intracity series.
"To be honest, I don't think we're thinking about where they are, or what they're doing," Lilly said. "We've got our mission, and that's whoever is out there on the field, we need to beat them just to make sure we win our division.
"They obviously have a good club, and it's not surprising that they're in first," Lilly said of the White Sox. "They have very good pitching, and a strong lineup. I would think they're going to play well and we'll see what happens.
"There's no point talking about October right now," he said. "But I wouldn't be surprised if they're going to be around for awhile."
Lilly may not want to bring up a possible postseason matchup, but it is probably on the minds of the 41,106 who crammed into Wrigley for Game 1 of this six-game, home-and-road series.
The Cubs struck first, as leadoff man Kosuke Fukudome chopped an infield single that didn't get past the pitcher's mound, advanced on Ryan Theriot's single, and scored when Derrek Lee grounded into a double play.
Jermaine Dye tied the game with a leadoff homer in the second, and with one on and one out in the third, A.J. Pierzynski gave the White Sox a 3-1 lead with his fifth homer. Lilly served up both. He struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings, giving up seven hits and three walks.
The Cubs woke up in the seventh. Lee launched reliever Octavio Dotel's first pitch into the right-field bleachers leading off, and Ramirez followed with his 11th homer five pitches later to tie the game at 3. It's the second time this year Lee and Ramirez have hit back-to-back blasts; they also did so April 11 in Philadelphia. Dotel had given up two home runs total over 33 1/3 innings before Friday.
"Once we tied it up," Lilly said, "it was hard for me not to believe we were going to get it done at some point in the game."
Which is just what Ramirez did, reminding fans of his walk-off against the Brewers last June 29 at Wrigley, a two-out, two-run shot off Francisco Cordero.
"Any time you hit a walk-off is special," Ramirez said.
Yes, it is.
"We've been playing a lot of exciting finishes lately," Piniella said.
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