Game 1: Inning by inning

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, who usually has nothing bad to say about Wrigley Field, is coerced into suggesting, "you're going to take batting practice with the rats bigger than a pig out there. I think the rats out there are lifting weights."

That came just a few breaths after Guillen got to the heart of this weekend's matter: "This is going to be the closest thing you can feel to the playoffs and the World Series."

The Cubs and Sox are playing six games in a 10-day span. Here's how the opener, which the Cubs won 4-3 in the ninth, played out Friday:

First inning

After a 31-minute rain delay, Cubs starter Ted Lilly finally toes the mound for the first pitch. He induces easy pops from Orlando Cabrera, the well-received A.J. Pierzynski and Carlos Quentin.

Sox starter John Danks doesn't fare as well. Kosuke Fukudome squibs a 1-2 pitch 30 feet down the third-base line for a single. Ryan Theriot rips the next fastball into right-center for a single that moves Fukudome to third, then Derrek Lee's double play brings in Fukudome for a 1-0 lead.

Second inning

As Jermaine Dye strides to the plate to lead off, let's take a moment to check out his splits this year:

Within Chicago city limits: 10 home runs in 127 plate appearances, or one homer every 12.7 PAs. Elsewhere: 4 home runs in 153 plate appearances, or one homer every 38.3 PAs.

Clearly, this is Dye's kind of town. Lilly, mindful that Dye ripped Pittsburgh for two homers Thursday, tries to feed him a diet of changeups. Dye sends Lilly's third consecutive changeup - what some might call a batting-practice fastball - across Waveland Avenue to make it a 1-1 tie. Sox fans roar. The fan who retrieves Dye's bomb throws it back on the field. Cubs fans roar.

Danks gets tagged for two line drives, but the Sox turn their second double play in as many innings and Carlos Quentin makes a nice sliding catch on Ronny Cedeno to blunt the threat.

Third inning

If A.J. Pierzynski was a country, he certainly wouldn't be Switzerland. Loved or loathed, he's the only guy on either team where you can tell who's coming to the plate without needing your eyes or help from the public-address announcer.

After a one-out bouncer up the middle gets Orlando Cabrera to first, Pierzynski takes a first-pitch strike. Then third-base coach Jeff Cox lets loose with a series of signs that suggests a hit-and-run might be in the offing. Lilly promptly lobs two pickoff throws to first, which suggests A.J. doesn't have his full attention.

If there's a play on, Cox wipes it off #8230; and Pierzynski wipes Lilly's grooved 88 m.p.h. fastball into the right-center bleachers for a 2-run homer and 3-1 Sox lead.

Meanwhile, Danks slips into a groove. Lilly and Fukudome flail at pitches way low and outside, then Joe Crede dives to his left and throws out Theriot. That's two terrific defensive plays for the Sox.

Fourth inning

Yawn. Lilly fans Alexei Ramirez to start a 1-2-3 inning.

Derrek Lee takes Danks to the track in the right-field well, but Dye catches up to it. Danks has now retired 7 in a row.

Fifth inning

The wind continues to blow out mildly, which helps Carlos Quentin's deep fly carry off the center-field wall for a two-out double. Dye, though, scalds a grounder to short to end the inning. FYI: Lilly hasn't tried throwing any more changeups to Dye.

Danks runs his string to 10 consecutive batters, and first-base coach Matt Sinatro and manager Lou Piniella raise a stink to end the inning.

Cedeno grounds a ball between first and second that first baseman Nick Swisher snags with a dive (a third excellent play for the Sox). Danks, covering the base, puts his foot down a split-second before Cedeno's hand touches first.

It's difficult to see live, which inspires arguments with first-base ump Mike DiMuro, but Comcast SportsNet's replay proves DiMuro correct.

Sixth inning

The White Sox are probably going to kick themselves for missing this opportunity.

Swisher leads off with a double down the left-field line - the team's fifth extra-base hit in as many innings. Joe Crede tries to advance Swisher to third by hitting to the right side, but fouls off three pitches. Crede tips a fourth, but Geovany Soto holds on for the strikeout. Alexei Ramirez then pops out to Soto and Brian Anderson whiffs as the Sox strand their fourth runner at second in the last five innings.

Danks, meanwhile, has been uncustomarily thrifty with his pitches, throwing just 74 pitches through five. Fukudome breaks Danks' streak at 11 batters with a one-out single to left, but Crede starts a 5-4-3 double play to defuse things.

Seventh inning

Guillen sends Juan Uribe to pinch-hit for Danks, so the 23-year-old lefty is through after throwing just 85 pitches over 6 innings. That's his second-lowest pitch count of the year. He allowed 5 hits, no walks and 1 run in his first chance to face the Cubs, which means this is his ninth quality start in 15 outings.

After Carlos Quentin walks for the second time today, Piniella removes Lilly with two on and two out. Bobby Howry gets Dye to line out to left.

For those of you keeping track at home, that's five Sox left stranded on second in the last six innings.

Guillen brings in Octavio Dotel with plans to use his Dotel-Linebrink-Jenks power trio to wrap up the game. Considering they own a combined 1.99 ERA and have allowed just 5 homers in their 90.2 innings of work, it seems like a no-brainer.

But Derrek Lee smacks Dotel's first pitch, a grooved 87 m.p.h. fastball, into the right-field bleachers. Then Aramis Ramirez smacks Dotel's sixth pitch, a hanging 80 m.p.h. slider, into the left-center bleachers. It's a new game.

Eighth inning

Nick Swisher greets Bob Howry with a leadoff single, but Crede continues his off-day by hitting into a 5-4-3 double play. Swisher goes hard after into second baseman Ronny Cedeno, but Cedeno turns it nicely as Swisher gets up and shakes his head in dismay.

With every at-bat crucial, Guillen and Piniella crank the managerial wheels in the bottom half of the inning.

Piniella trots out left-handed Micah Hoffpauir to pinch-hit for Howry leading off, so Guillen brings in lefty Matt Thornton.

That forces Piniella to burn Hoffpauir in favor of Henry Blanco, who lines out to left. Thornton then blows away Fukudome with consecutive fastballs that hit 95, 94, 96, 96 and 97 on the MLB gun.

Ninth inning

How much do the Cubs want this game? For just the third time this year, Kerry Wood comes in with the game tied.

Brian Anderson leads off with a double as he redirects a 96 m.p.h. fastball off the center-field bricks and ivy.

Guillen brings in Jim Thome to pinch-hit for Thornton. Before the game, Guillen suggested he wanted to rest Thome if at all possible. Thome's stiff back, as well as this situation that cries out for moving the runner to third, suggests a bunter could also be a good choice to pinch-hit.

In any case, Thome pops up Wood's first pitch to third. Cabrera flies out to Mark DeRosa in medium right, which probably wouldn't have been deep enough to score Anderson had he been on third.

Then Pierzynski gets punched out by third-base umpire Mike Everett on a check swing. Pierzynski spikes his helmet, flips his bat and glares in disgust as he returns to the dugout.

While the crowd continues to buzz about that, Linebrink takes his warmup pitches. He throws Ball 1 to Aramis Ramirez, then his 93 m.p.h. fastball down the middle goes out even faster on a line into the center-field juniper bushes.

Ramirez points to the stands as he rounds first, then puts his hands over his helmet to protect himself as he jumps into the mosh pit at the plate.

Sox fans in the bleachers start throwing garbage on the warning track while Cubs fans swing into "Go, Cubs, Go."

Can any of the next five games possibly equal this one?