Quade, Cubs savor something special

It’s not every day that the New York Yankees walk into Wrigley Field.

So there was a natural buzz to things Friday when these two historic franchises hooked up for the first game of a three-game set.

Game 1 lived up to the hype.

The Cubs beat the Yankees 3-1 in a game that featured some good plays in the field and an exciting finish, as Cubs closer Carlos Marmol struck out Chris Dickerson with two runners on base.

“The biggest crowd of the year, but the best crowd,” said Cubs manager Mike Quade. “These two cities are so well-represented. It was better than the Boston series (last month at Fenway Park) for me. I know I’m home and all the rest of it.

“The electricity was something special. And it was a good ballgame. That plays to it, too. If you bought a ticket today and you weren’t happy with what you saw, you should probably do lacrosse or something else. That was fun for all of us.”

The players said they felt it, too.

“Not as much the Yankees, but just interleague play, there’s just a different intensity there,” said Cubs catcher Koyie Hill. “When you play teams you don’t normally play, you get different fans, a different crowd. It’s such fun playing those games. It felt like ’07, ’08, ’09. I think a lot of the guys who are left over from those teams remembered that and were anxious to get back to that on a consistent basis.”

A real web gem:The defensive play of the game came in the top of the ninth inning, when left fielder Reed Johnson made a diving catch of Robinson Cano#146;s flyball down the line.Mike Quade had just put Johnson into the game as a defensive replacement. The catch brought Quade to the top step of the dugout, in part to make sure Johnson was OK. Johnson recently came off the disabled list because of back problems. He#146;s also still sporting a black eye from being hit with a pitch while on a minor-league rehab assignment.#147;One piece,#148; Johnson said of his condition. #147;I don#146;t look like it, but I really am. I#146;m diving, but almost in a half slide. If I had caught enough speed on that dirt, I figured I would hit the wall, but I knew I wasn#146;t going to dive directly into it.#148; Quade had just replaced Alfonso Soriano with Johnson to start the ninth.#147;Who didn#146;t know that he could make a big play?#148; Quade said. #147;It seems like the right thing to do. We try to be careful with him and spot him and give him a few days, play him tomorrow and probably against CC (Sabathia on Sunday night). I#146;m so tempted to play him every day because he#146;s so much fun to have in the lineup. But I like him well and healthy.#147;Part of the deal with his health is that#146;s the way he plays. He will leave his feet. He#146;ll run through the wall. Sometimes that#146;s not conducive to staying healthy.#148;Closing the deal:Carlos Marmol earned his 14th save by working 1#8531; innings. He gave up a hit and a walk while striking out three. #147;That#146;s the best slider I#146;ve seen him have; that#146;s the best stuff I#146;ve seen him have today,#148; Koyie Hill said. Marmol struck out Alex Rodriguez to end the eighth. In the ninth, he struck out Jorge Posada in addition to Chris Dickerson. #147;We#146;re playing good baseball this week,#148; Marmol said. #147;We feel pretty good because we#146;ve been winning.#148;