Tuesday night’s Cubs win in Houston was noteworthy for three reasons: 1. It was on at the same time as the NHL and NBA Finals, so only true die-hards were watching. 2. Ted Lilly pitched a gem and managed to leg out a triple. 3. Milton Bradley went 0-for-6, somehow stranding 24 runners in the process.
At 7-1, it was a rare blow-out win for the Cubs, who led 3-0 after a half inning and never looked back. None of the offense came from Bradley, who set a new league record for runners LOB in a game.
“We hadn’t thought it was possible to strand more than three runners per at-bat, but Bradley somehow found a way to do it,” said STATS Inc. spokesperson Bob Belding. “Milton Bradley never ceases to amaze us. He’s the reason we now count career ejections and expletives per nine innings.”
Despite his lackluster showing at the plate, Bradley was particularly riled up, smashing his bat in half after one of his three strikeouts. It was Bradley’s first start since injuring his calf last week in Atlanta. According to Cubs.com, Bradley talked his way into the lineup after manager Lou Piniella wanted to sit him again. It was a move that all parties concerned would regret, if regret was a feeling Bradley was capable of expressing.
“Do I regret playing tonight? Hell no,” said Bradley. “If I hadn’t been out there, we might have scored at least 15 runs, meaning the game could have gone on for an extra hour and that’s something nobody wants.”
By Brad Zibung, founder and editor in chief
