[clari.sports.baseball] Chicago 9, Philadelphia 1

clarinews@clarinet.com (09/22/89)

	CHICAGO (UPI) -- Chicago Cubs manager Don Zimmer's wish came true
Thursday and not only did pitcher Greg Maddux go the full nine innings,
he held the Philadelphia Phillies scoreless for the first eight.
	``Somebody asked me, `Who's gonna be the first one up in the
bullpen,''' Zimmer said. ``I told him, `I hope nobody. I hope Greg
Maddux goes nine innings.'''
	Backed by a 17-hit attack that included Andre Dawson's three-run
home run, Maddux responded with a six-hit, 9-1 victory over the
Philadelphia Phillies.
	``This is the first time anybody said to me, `Go nine,''' Maddux
said after he matched his career-high 18th victory. ``That didn't put
pressure on me. I only felt pressure because I hadn't pitched a good
game the last time that I faced them.''
	The Cubs reduced their magic number to seven in the National League
East -- not to mention's Zimmer's anxiety. The blowout came one day after
the manager held a closed-door meeting with his pitchers and catchers.
	What effect, if any, did the heart-to-heart have on the outcome?
	``None whatsoever,'' Zimmer said.
	``I'm not supposed to talk about the meeting,'' said Maddux
(18-12), who walked two and struck out seven. ``If I do, it will come
out of my wallet.''
	Maddux preferred to talk about the 9-0 lead that he had after four
innings. Every starter except Luis Salazar had two hits against Phillies
starter Terry Mulholland (4-7) and two relievers.
	``The big lead enabled me to concentrate on the batter with runners
on base,'' said Maddux, who also had a pair of singles. ``It takes a lot
of pressure off the pitcher. I knew that a three-run homer wouldn't hurt
me.''
	After he wiggled out of a two-on, no-out jam in the second inning,
Maddux caught his second wind. Between Dickie Thon's single with no outs
in the second inning and Thon's lead-off double in the seventh, Maddux
didn't allow a hit.
	Rick Wrona's broken-bat, RBI single in the second inning gave
Maddux an early lead, then the Cubs broke the game open in the fourth
inning with the help of rookie third baseman Charlie Hayes' mental
mistake.
	With two outs and Wrona (single) on first base, Hayes fielded Doug
Dascenzo's routine grounder, looked to second base, then threw late to
first as the inning was kept alive. The play was ruled an infield hit.
	``No doubt that was a big play,'' Zimmer said.
	Ryne Sandberg and Mark Grace followed with run-scoring singles off
Mulholland before Dawson capped the five-run rally with his 19th homer
over the left-field bleachers.
	Chicago pulled in front 9-0 with three runs in the fifth inning
against Randy O'Neal on consecutive two-out, RBI singles by Dascenzo,
Sandberg and Grace. Dawson, Sandberg and Grace lead the club with 74 RBI
apiece.
	``We've struggled for two weeks,'' Grace said, ``but we've playd
too hard not to be rewarded for it at the end.''
	Philadelphia ruined Maddux's bid for his sixth major-league shutout
in the eighth inning on Ricky Jordan's sacrifice fly.