WOOD OUTDUELS CLEMENS IN WRIGLEY CLASSIC
Starters Combine for 25 Ks; Yanks 7 G 'W' Streak
Ends
CHICAGO, June 7 (AP) - Kerry Wood fired a two-hit complete game shutout,
outdueling Roger Clemens in the process, as the Chicago Cubs eked out a 1-0
victory over the New York Yankees before a sellout crowd at Wrigley Field.
Wood struck out 13 batters--including eight in a row at one point, tying the
major league season mark to date for consecutive strikeouts. Clemens, who
allowed only one run on three hits in seven innings, fanned 12 Cubs, including
six straight at one stretch. It was arguably the most dominant performance
put on by a pair of pitchers in the same game this year.
The loss brought an end to New York's seven-game winning streak.
The contest's only run came in the bottom of the sixth inning. Clemens had
held Chicago hitless through five frames, but that came to an end with Damian
Miller's lead-off single. Wood sacrificed the runner to second and Mark
Grudzielanek drove Miller home by lashing a double past third baseman Robin
Ventura. Alex Gonzalez followed by drawing a walk but Clemens avoided
further trouble by striking out Corey Patterson and retiring Sammy Sosa on a fly
ball to center. The walk to Gonzalez represented the final Chicago
baserunner of the game.
The Yankees had two would-be scoring threats. In the second, Ventura led
off with a double but Wood struck out Raul Mondesi, retired Hideki Matsui on a
fly to right and induced Juan Rivera to roll weakly to Grudzielanek at
second. In the eighth, Mondesi led off with a double but Wood again rose
to the occasion, retiring Matsui and Rivera on infield grounders and fanning
pinch hitter Ruben Sierra.
Wood's string of eight consecutive strikeouts began at the start of the fourth
inning when he fanned Jason Giambi. It came to an end with two outs in the
sixth when Derek Jeter rolled back to the mound on a 1-0 pitch to close the
frame.
Clemens struck out Grudzielanek to end the third inning and then fanned the next
five Cubs batters he faced until Lenny Harris bounced to first to end the
fifth. Cubs batters struck out a total of 14 times in just eight
innings. After Clemens was lifted for a pinch hitter in the top of the
eighth, Juan Acevedo came on in relief in the bottom half of the inning and
fanned two of the three batters he faced.
The 25 batters struck out by Clemens and Wood is the highest total by a pair of
starters in a single game this season.
6/7/2003, NYY03-ChC03, Wrigley Field 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 2003 Yankees 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 0 2003 Cubs 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 x 1 3 0 4 1 Yankees AB R H BI AVG Cubs AB R H BI AVG Soriano,A 2b 4 0 0 0 .299 Grudzielanek 2b 4 0 1 1 .358 Jeter ss 4 0 0 0 .358 Gonzalez,AS ss 2 0 0 0 .290 Giambi,Ja 1b 3 0 0 0 .299 Patterson,C cf 3 0 0 0 .304 Posada c 2 0 0 0 .220 Sosa,S rf 3 0 0 0 .221 Ventura 3b 3 0 1 0 .242 Alou lf 3 0 0 0 .251 Mondesi rf 3 0 1 0 .282 Choi 1b 3 0 0 0 .195 Matsui cf 3 0 0 0 .340 Harris,L 3b 3 0 1 0 .185 Rivera,J lf 3 0 0 0 .164 Miller,D c 3 1 1 0 .246 Clemens p 2 0 0 0 .000 Wood,K p 2 0 0 0 .148 Sierra ph 1 0 0 0 .329 26 1 3 1 Acevedo,Ju p 0 0 0 0 .000 28 0 2 0 Yankees INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Clemens L 4-6 7.0 3 1 1 2 12 104 71 5.15 Acevedo,Ju 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 12 9 5.96 8.0 3 1 1 2 14 116 80 Cubs INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Wood,K W 7-4 9.0 2 0 0 2 13 124 75 4.11 9.0 2 0 0 2 13 124 75 NYY: Sierra batted for Clemens in the 8th 2B-Ventura(12), Mondesi(17), Grudzielanek(16). RBI-Grudzielanek(23). K-Soriano,A 2, Jeter, Giambi,Ja, Posada 2, Ventura, Mondesi 2, Matsui, Rivera,J, Clemens, Sierra, Grudzielanek, Gonzalez,AS 2, Patterson,C 3, Sosa,S 2, Alou, Choi 2, Miller,D 2, Wood,K. BB-Giambi,Ja, Posada, Gonzalez,AS 2. SH-Wood,K. GWRBI: Grudzielanek Temperature: 83, Sky: clear, Wind: in from left at 3 MPH. Attendance: 38,965 Game Time: 2:30