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sports Diahuebs 1 OctOber 2020

Dickerson homers as Marlins beat Cubs 5-1 in playoff opener

(AP) The Miami Marlins of the best-of-three series is by first-year manager Da-
just kept fighting. When Kyle Thursday. Yu Darvish starts vid Ross, Marte singled and
Hendricks finally stumbled, for the Central champion Aguilar hit a drive to right off
they pounced.This group Cubs, and rookie right-hand- Jeremy Jeffress for his third
of Marlins is one resilient er Sixto Sánchez get the ball playoff homer.
bunch of fish. for upstart Miami. "I've been feeling so strong
Corey Dickerson hit a three- at the end of games," Hen-
run homer off a fading Hen- We've got to come in tomor- dricks said. "I was making
dricks in the seventh inning, row and find a way. That's good pitches and I made
and Miami beat the Chicago it," Cubs first baseman An- good pitches to Dickerson all
Cubs 5-1 on Wednesday in thony Rizzo said. The Mar- day long. That's wasn't a bad
Game 1 of their NL wild- lins could be without center pitch. He just jumped on it.
card series. fielder Starling Marte after he
was hit on the left hand by a The last time the Marlins
Jesús Aguilar also homered fastball in the ninth inning. scored five or more runs
and Sandy Alcantara pitched The team said he had a left in an inning during a play- hit a batter. He had permitted squad. Ureña broke his right
three-hit ball into the sev- hand contusion and was go- off game was Oct. 14, 2003, just two hits before the Mar- forearm when he was hit by
enth as Miami conjured up ing for X-rays. at Wrigley Field, when the lins chased him with three in a line drive Sunday at New
memories of past playoff club scored eight times in a row in the seventh, culmi- York.
magic in the franchise's first Marte got the start after he the eighth during Game 6 nating in Dickerson's one- Cubs: INF Ildemaro Vargas
postseason game since it won was hit on the front of his of the NLCS. That outburst out homer. was activated from the 10-
the World Series in 2003. The helmet by a fastball during included fan Steve Bartman day injured list after miss-
Marlins, who rallied past the Sunday's regular-season fi- deflecting Luis Castillo's foul It's tough. The guy pitched ing the last part of the season
Cubs in a memorable NLCS nale against the Yankees. ball as Cubs left fielder Moi- really good and that was go- with a right hamstring strain.
that year, have never lost a He's been like a target al- ses Alou tried to make a leap- ing to be his last batter re- UP NEXT
playoff series. most," manager Don Mat- ing catch. gardless," Ross said. "That's a
This year's Marlins weren't tingly said. "But he's been a tough pull, but you know, Sánchez, one of baseball's top
supposed to make the play- bouncing back from every- There was only a smatter- it stinks." prospects, made his big league
offs, not after losing 105 thing else so hopefully we get ing of onlookers — primarily Alcantara (1-0) struck out debt on Aug. 22. Game 2 will
games in 2019 and dealing good results with everything fans and team employees — four and walked three in 6 be his first start at Wrigley.
with a coronavirus outbreak and we'll see where he's at. Wednesday because of base- 2/3 innings in his first career To be honest, I don't know
early this season. Dickerson ball's COVID-19 protocols, playoff start. much about the history of the
said all the adversity helped Miami was 0 for 9 with run- and the lower bowl that sur- ballpark, but I know I will be
turn them into a better team. ners in scoring position be- rounds the field was almost Chicago got its only run on pitching against the Cubs,"
fore Dickerson drove Hen- completely empty. Ian Happ's two-out drive in he said through a translator.
We don't care about who's dricks' 106th pitch just over the fifth for his first postsea- "It's going to be great. Dar-
the hero," he said. "We want the wall in left-center for his Hendricks (0-1) matched a son homer. Happ had two of vish is making his first play-
to pass the bat to the next first career playoff homer, season high with 106 pitches the Cubs' four hits. off appearance since signing
guy. We don't care. We want erasing the Cubs' 1-0 lead on in his first start in a week. TRAINER'S ROOM with Chicago before the 2018
to cheer for one another, play a cool, blustery afternoon. Known for his pinpoint con- season. He is 2-4 with a 5.81
for one another. That's what trol, the right-hander issued a Marlins: RHP José Ureña ERA in six career postseason
makes this game fun.Game 2 After Hendricks was pulled season-high three walks and was placed on the team's taxi starts.

Renfroe slam helps Rays sweep young Blue Jays in 1st round

(AP) Hunter Renfroe hit a now kept Tampa Bay ahead York Yankees or Cleveland dating to the 2008 World Se- ning with three straight hits
grand slam and the top-seed- from there, allowing two Indians. ries. and scored their first run on
ed Tampa Bay Rays won a runs — on a pair of homers A year ago, they beat Oak- Manuel Margot's one-out
postseason series for the first by Danny Jansen — in six in- The next round starts Mon- land in the AL wild-card single. Ryu escaped a bases-
time in 12 years, overpower- nings. day at Petco Park in San Di- game before losing to Hous- loaded jam by striking out
ing the young Toronto Blue ego. Renfroe is plenty famil- ton in the division round — a Willy Adames, however his
Jays 8-2 Wednesday to finish Mike Zunino hit a two- iar with the stadium he hit 85 five-game setback that never- outing got worse the next in-
a two-game sweep of their run homer off Blue Jays ace home runs in the previous theless heightened team ex- ning.
AL wild-card matchup. Hyun Jin Ryu during Tampa three years for the Padres be- pectations heading into this After Zunino's homer made
Bay's big inning. Manuel fore being traded to the Rays season. it 3-0, Tampa Bay loaded the
Renfroe launched the first Margot and Randy Arozarena last December. bases again on a double, walk
playoff grand slam in fran- also drove in runs as the Rays Manager Kevin Cash's team and shortstop Bo Bichette's
chise history during a six-run advanced to the AL Division The Rays celebrated with delivered this year, winning second error of the day.
second inning. Tyler Glas- series against either the New some hugs and handshakes the AL East. Renfroe, obtained from San
after the final out. Ryu signed with the Blue Diego in an offseason trade
Glasnow, who walked one Jays in free agency last winter that sent Tommy Pham to
and struck out eight before a after being an All-Star with the Padres, hit his grand slam
small gathering of family and the Los Angeles Dodgers into the left field seats to ex-
friends who were allowed to and finishing second in NL tend the lead to 7-0.
attend the series at Tropicana Cy Young Award balloting in
Field. 2019. SHORT RUN
Ryu was rocked for a season- The 33-year-old lefty had the Toronto's first playoff appear-
high seven runs in 1 2/3 in- AL's fourth-best ERA this ance since 2016 was brief, but
nings, the lefty's shortest season. And, his career mark 2B Joe Panik said the Blue
outing of the season for the of .295 is third-best behind Jays have a lot to be proud
wild-card Blue Jays. Clayton Kershaw (2.43) and of after earning a berth while
Jacob deGrom (2.61) among having to play home games
The Rays, who won Game 1 active pitchers with at least in a Triple-A ballpark in Buf-
with a nice mix of pitching, 700 innings pitched. falo, New York, after being
defense and timely hitting, Ryu's impressive credentials denied permission to host
had dropped five consecutive meant nothing Wednesday. games in Toronto due to the
multigame postseason series The Rays began the first in- coronavirus pandemic.