Cubs come back to take Game 1 of Crosstown
Aramis Ramirez has learned a thing or two about hitting walk-off home runs.
Like keeping your helmet on approaching the mob scene at home plate.
"They can hit you on top of the head pretty hard," Ramirez said Friday after his leadoff homer in the ninth inning off Scott Linebrink gave the Cubs a 4-3 win over the White Sox in the opener of their three-game series at Wrigley Field, setting off a wild celebration in blue.
For Ramirez, it was his second home run of the game and third career walk-off. He went back-to-back with Derrek Lee in the seventh inning to erase a 3-1 White Sox lead.
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"Our big boys in the middle part of the lineup did what we like to see them do, and that's hit the ball with power," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "We needed to win this game."
The Cubs were coming off a 2-4 road trip that ended with them dropping three straight against Tampa Bay.
"We had lost three in a row and you don't want to let this thing slide too much," Piniella said.
The Cubs haven't let much slide at home, where they are now 30-8 at Wrigley Field.
"Once we tied it up it was hard for me not to believe that we were going to get it done at some point in the game," said Cubs starter Ted Lilly. "Especially playing here, the guys have a pretty deep belief that we can win those games. We have a lot of confidence here."
Lilly pitched into the seventh inning, keeping it close after surrendering a solo home run to Jermaine Dye in the second and a 2-run homer to A.J. Pierzynski in the third.
"We didn't allow the White Sox to tack on runs and that was a key," Piniella said.
Lilly knew he couldn't let the White Sox score any more runs the way John Danks was bringing it on the other side. Danks pitched 6 strong innings, allowing 1 run on 5 hits and striking out five without a walk.
Danks threw only 85 pitches, but White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen made the decision to pinch-hit Juan Uribe for his left-hander in the top of the seventh and go into his normally dependable bullpen for Octavio Dotel.
Lee hit Dotel's first pitch into the right field bleachers and Ramirez followed with a homer to left.
"We've got a game plan and the seventh and eighth inning is for Dotel," Guillen said. "He just threw the wrong pitch to the wrong guy. Lee and Ramirez got a couple fastballs right in the middle of the plate."
As well as Danks was throwing, the Cubs thought Guillen made the right move to Dotel.
"You can't blame Ozzie because Dotel has been throwing the ball real good," Ramirez said.
"Dotel is a tough righty," Lee said. "I think I would have rather faced Danks."
Danks wanted to go back out for the seventh, but he understood his manager's decision.
"I don't think I've ever come out of a game yet in my career when I didn't want to go back out," Danks said. "I totally understand why. This is the National League and we had to try to get some runs up there. Obviously, Juan Uribe is a better fit to hit than I am.
"I felt I was pretty efficient, but at the same time I totally understand. To a certain degree I agreed with Ozzie's move."
The Cubs got solid relief from Bob Howry and Kerry Wood (4-1).
This is the first time since interleague play began in 1997 that the Cubs and White Sox have met with both teams in first place. Ramirez felt an extra jolt of energy in the air because of it.
"Some people look at it as another series," Ramirez said. "It's not another series."