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“That’s when it hit me hardest,” he said. “I had never been to Chicago, Illinois. As soon as I landed, I felt like a tourist because I was looking side to side, looking out all the windows like, ‘Ooh! Aah!’ I was trying to sightsee when I was in the plane and when I got into my car too.”
Ian Happ’s bases-loaded single in the fifth pulled the Cubs within two runs, but Max Scherzer struck out Willson Contreras and retired David Bote on a flyout to end his night. Scherzer also lasted only five innings, scattering four walks and five hits. He finished with eight strikeouts, passing Jim Bunning for 19th on the all-time list with 2,856 after fanning Happ to end the third.
It was the 12th no-hitter in Yankees history and the first since David Cone’s perfect game against the Montreal Expos on July 18, 1999. It was the fifth against the Rangers, who were also at home April 9 when San Diego native Joe Musgrove threw the first no-hitter in Padres history.
The Sky led by as many as 23 points, but the Dream trimmed it to 73-71 with 2:12 remaining. Astou Ndour scored the next five points to extend the Sky’s lead to seven, and Diamond DeShields, who was 3 of 11 from the field, sealed it with a baseline jumper with 35.9 seconds left.
Rizzo, who was out of the starting lineup Wednesday with lower back pain, is the only player left from the start of the Cubs rebuild in 2012. He has seen what it’s like going from the bottom to the top and then down again, and he hopes to keep the Cubs relevant before the July trade deadline, which could be a turning point in the direction of the franchise with Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Báez all in their walk years.
After Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz homered to center in the third for the game’s first run, García led off the fifth with a double. He moved to third on a bunt and scored when Adam Eaton beat a throw to first by shortstop Jorge Polanco for a two-out infield hit.
“I walked around the clubhouse (Tuesday) night after the game and no one was giving me the Heisman,” La Russa said to a reporter, referring to the stiff arm of the Heisman trophy. “So I’m not sure where you’re coming from … But I think the team agrees, and we started it in spring training, this is how we play. Play hard, play the game right, play it with respect.”
I don’t necessarily believe Pace and Nagy are in the same “desperate situation” they faced entering the draft, when the quarterback depth chart had Andy Dalton, Nick Foles and no one else. They were challenged entering the draft, and pretty much everyone knew they had to make a move for a rookie quarterback. Now that they have Fields in place, I don’t know that you can completely remove them from the hot seat. I believe the McCaskeys understand the development of a young quarterback is a process that takes time. But the Bears still have to show progress this season, certainly some offensive growth. If they simply throw Fields out there in Week 1 without making him clearly outperform Dalton, they risk the chance of expectations quickly falling. Everyone is excited about Fields right now. There’s real energy at Halas Hall. There’s a belief they have a guy who finally could solve the riddle at the position. Push him on the field too soon, see him stumble and then what happens for Pace and Nagy? The chances are pretty good that Fields starts in the first half of the season, and if that doesn’t happen, it might be because the Bears are playing better than anyone would expect with Dalton. That wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, right? As far as Jenkins goes, he looks like the Day 1 starter because the team really doesn’t have competition for him on the current roster. But the situation for Pace and Nagy could quickly become desperate if Fields is forced into action too soon, looks unprepared and struggles.
“And then today they throw at him when a position player’s on the mound (Monday) and it’s like, we’re trying to get the game over with, let’s swing and get things going. You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t, it seems like. But I think everybody should just play the game as hard as they can and do all that, and don’t worry about anything else.”
“This is major-league baseball,” the former slugger said. “When you go up there, you’re here to do well. If you don’t do well, they will get rid of you. So, I’m sorry, the unwritten rules have changed a little — excuse me, not a little, a lot. … In the ’90s, when we played, (swinging at a 3-0 pitch in a rout) would never happen. But today? Everybody’s having fun.”