Derrek Lee homers twice to lead Cubs past Mets 5-3
It's official: There may not be a guy anywhere who has had a better past few days than Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee.
It began Thursday morning when Lee and his wife, Christina, welcomed baby boy Dylan into the world.
It continued Saturday when Lee rejoined the team and belted a pair of homers and drove in 3 runs to lead the Cubs (68-66) over the Mets 5-3, helping to snap an offensive drought that had the North Siders tilting perilously close to the .500 mark.
But it wasn't going to happen because Lee had a promise to keep.
"It'll be a good story," Lee told reporters after the game. "I told my daughter before I left - she always asks me to hit a home run - so I told her I have to hit a home run for you and Dylan.
"It's going to be tough. I'm sure she was excited today watching."
Lee's 2 homers boosted his season total to 29 to go with his 93 RBI.
"Derrek obviously was the main attraction," Cubs manager Lou Piniella told reporters after the game. "It was nice to have him back. He provided the fireworks today."
And when Lee wasn't going deep he was getting on base - as he was for Aramis Ramirez's 2-run homer in the fourth inning.
But nothing could overshadow Lee's big day - and week.
"Having kids, there's nothing like it," Lee said. "It's a love you can't even explain. It's been a good week. I just feel blessed with a healthy son, my daughter just experiencing all of it. It's been fun."
Rich Harden (9-8) went 5 innings and picked up the win to move to 4-2 since the all-star break.
"I felt really good today," Harden said. "Their approach was to try to get me deep into the count, foul off some balls and make me throw a lot of pitches. - I want to go deeper into the game."
He didn't need to Saturday because the bullpen turned in a strong outing with Tom Gorzelanny, Aaron Heilman, John Grabow and Carlos Marmol (save) combining to finish up.
<p class="factboxtextbold12col"><b>Cubs 5, Mets 3</b></p> <p class="factboxtextbold12col"><b>King of the road:</b> Rich Harden has allowed 3 or fewer earned runs in all 11 of his road starts this season.</p> <p class="factboxtextbold12col"><b>10-spot:</b> When Mets starter Nelson Figueroa faced the Cubs last Sunday, he looked like a world beater, striking out 10 en route to a 4-1 victory at Wrigley Field. On Saturday against Figueroa, it was Rich Harden delivering the heat, registering 10 strikeouts against the Mets, all swinging.</p> <p class="factboxtextbold12col"><b>Special K:</b> The Cubs and the Mets combined for 22 strikeouts Saturday.</p>