Firsts of All: Soler Wrigley Debut; Sky Wins in 2 OT

September 2, 2014 @ admin → No Comments

Labor Day provided a fair share of firsts for those with Chicago sports connections. Mostly baseball but basketball, too. For starters, Cubs right fielder Jorge Soler made his Wrigley Field debut. And Cubs starter Justin Turner posted his first victory with the team (OK, so it was his second outing since being acquired from Miami), as Welington Castillo drove in three runs (including a two-run homer) and Luis Valbuena homered in a 4-2 victory vs. Milwaukee.

This picture of Wendy Trent might not capture the spirit of Labor Day, but it works for us. Credit: Ryan Astamendi

* Speaking of Soler, he had two doubles in going 2-for-4 and lowering his batting average to .526. Yes, lowering. This guy has been impressive (small sample size). He has as many doubles (four) in 19 at-bats as rookie second baseman Javier Baez has in 116. And Soler has three homers to seven for Baez. In case you were wondering (and even if you weren’t).

* Thanks to the loss to the Cubs, the Brewers are out of first place in the National League Central for the first time all season. If it’s any consolation to Cubs fans (and the guess here is that it is not), the St. Louis Cardinals took over first place by beating Pittsburgh on a Matt Holliday single (after he had driven in two runs earlier). So Cubs manager Rick Renteria isn’t the only one who pitches to Holliday with the game on the line (see Sunday’s Cubs loss to the Cards). The Cards had tied the game on their first pinch-hit homer of the season.

* Speaking of firsts, in his first game with the Oakland A’s, former White Sox slugger Adam Dunn (traded Sunday to the A’s, who are on their way to the postseason) hit a two-run home run in his first at-bat. He also had a single in the 6-1 victory. If it’s any comfort to Sox fans who were happy to see Dunn depart the Sox (and the guess here is that there actually might be some), he did strike out in his third at-bat.

Video below of Sheron Menezzes (also known as Sheron Menezes).

* Speaking of Sox fans, Dunn actually was remarking on A’s fans (but Sox fans can feel free to be irritated) after a sellout crowd of 36,067 cheered the team on to victory: “That’s the best crowd I’ve ever played with. I’m serious. It’s unbelievable. If it’s like that every night here, it’s going to be a fun little ride.” Some Sox fans might think Dunn has been sniffing something or something. Well, what he is sniffing is the postseason for the first time in his 14-year career.

* Speaking of the A’s, pitcher Jason Hammel — acquired in the deal that also sent Jeff Samardzija from the Cubs to Oakland — threw three-hit ball over eight innings. If it’s any consolation to Cubs fans (hey, you never know), the victory was Hammel’s first with the A’s since Aug. 5. He is 2-5 with Oakland after going 8-5 for the Cubs. And the A’s are well on their way to the postseason, while the Cubs are well on their way to next season).

* Speaking of the A’s and former Cubs, catcher Geovany Soto — whom Oakland acquired from the Texas Rangers Aug. 24 — went 1-for-4 with a two-run single. The runs batted in were his first with the A’s. So the Cubs will be well-represented in baseball’s playoffs. Or, they will be, well, represented. Depending on how you look at things — and use punctuation.

Video below of Scheila Carvalho. NSFW perhaps, depending where or if you happen to be working.

* Still speaking of firsts and former Cubs, Philadelphia outfielder Marlon Byrd made a diving catch as the Phillies won 5-0 in Atlanta, as four pitchers combined for a no-hitter. It was the first multi-pitcher no-hitter in Phillies history.

* If all of this baseball stuff makes you think some of us spent most of Labor Day on a couch and watching various sporting events, then so be it. A note for White Sox fans: Detroit, which at last look was one-half game behind Kansas City in the American League Central, has some impressive prospects. Rookie outfielder Tyler Collins pinch-hit a three-run homer in the Tigers’ 12-1 victory at Cleveland. The ball sounded like a homer the moment he hit it. It was his first big-league at-bat since April. Steve Moya, who had 35 homers in the minors this season, singled. It was his first big-league at-bat. So it would seem the Sox (as well as the Cubs) just might not be the only team with good, young players.

* Speaking of firsts (non-baseball department), the Chicago Sky scored its first home playoff victory by edging the Indiana Fever 86-84 in double overtime to force a decisive Game 3 Wednesday in Indianapolis in their WNBA Eastern Conference finals series. Center Sylvia Fowles had 27 points, Courtney Vandersloot 18 and Allie Quigley 16 to lead the Sky, which rallied from a 14-point, second-quarter deficit. Elena Delle Donne, 2013 rookie of the year, had nine points (4-of-11 from the field). During timeouts she would lay on the floor for treatment on her back. At the very least, she should land a heating-pad endorsement from the pain. Ouch!

***

Here is where to go for a daily dose of non-gratuitous video (thanks to the effusive efforts of the editorial and video departments at ElliottHarris.com):