The Morning After: Sox Club Cubs
By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jun 12, 2010 3:30PM
With the Blackhawks parade winding down and the glow of victory still shimmering across the city, it's no surprise that the excitement for the first Crosstown rivalry game yesterday was low, especially given how both the Sox and Cubs have played this season. But now they'll be the focus for the rest of the weekend and the Sox have a leg up on the Cubs after clubbing the North Siders 10-5 in yesterday's series opener [Cubs recap, Sox recap]. The Sox got a pair of runs from Andruw Jones and A.J. Pierzynski in the top of the first to take an early lead, but in the bottom of the second, Alfonso Soriano evened the score with his 300th career home run. The 2-2 score held until the top of the fifth when the Sox got a two-RBI double from Paul Konerko and then Pierzynski added another RBI with a double of his own, putting the Sox up 5-2. Pierzynksi did it again in the seventh, belting a solo homer. Carlos Quentin (solo) and Alex Rios (two-run) did the same in the eighth as the Sox scored four times in that frame to go up 10-2. Soriano gave the Cubs a little life in the bottom of the eighth as a shot down the third base line was misplayed by Sox third baseman Jayson Nix, scoring two runs. But the rally would still fall well short for the Cubs.
On the mound, Jake Peavy pitched a solid seven innings, allowing just two runs and getting the win, his 100th career victory. On the other side of the scoreboard, the Cubs' Randy Wells was tagged for 10 hits and five runs over five innings. Said Ozzie after the game, "Every time you play this ballclub, and you play here, you take it to the next level. I was very surprised, very pleased, very proud of the Chicago fans. A lot of people were talking about no one was going to come here and watch this game, and this game don't mean anything -- this game was sold out. That's how many baseball fans are out there. When you win, everything is good."
The two teams square off again this afternoon, making for a perfect follow-up to the USA-England World Cup match (3:10 p.m., FOX).