Thursday, April 15, 1999

CUBS 5, REDS 4

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Boone kicks himself after boot

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Barry Larkin completes a double play. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        CHICAGO — Aaron Boone's perfectly healthy, though he made himself sick Wednesday at Wrigley Field.

        Recovered from the viral infection that caused him to miss four games and lose nine pounds, Boone lined two hits, including a ninth-inning home run that enabled the Reds to maintain serious pressure on the Chicago Cubs. But earlier, he committed a fielding error which helped Chicago grab an early lead and hold on for a 5-4 victory.

        The Reds (3-5) still could call this road trip a success if they end their two-city, six-game journey with a victory today. They've divided the first two games with the Cubs after capturing two out of three in St. Louis.

        By contemporary standards, third basemen must produce offensively as well as defensively. Boone figured he fulfilled only half of his obligation.

Eddie Taubensee watches Sammy Sosa greet Glenallen Hill after Hill's second homer. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        His day was spoiled in Chicago's second inning, which left fielder Glenallen Hill opened with his first of two home runs off Reds starter Pete Harnisch (1-1). After Jose Hernandez singled, Benito Santiago hit a sharp grounder that scooted under Boone's glove and through his legs. Gary Gaetti's sacrifice fly widened the Cubs' lead to 2-0.

        That modest margin was enough for Cubs starter Jon Lieber (2-0) to protect, especially with Sammy Sosa scoring twice after doubling — the first coming in the third inning on another wicked grounder past Boone, the next preceding Hill's second home run in the sixth inning.

        From Boone's perspective, his error colored the entire afternoon.

        “There's no excuse for it,” Boone said. “That's a double-play ball. You have to make that play. It changes the whole complexion (of the game).”

        Boone firmly rejected any excuses.

        “It got on me quickly, but I just couldn't get down in time,” he said. “It was tai lor-made.”

        Harnisch might have weathered Boone's miscue if he was as dominant as he was last Friday night, when he began the road trip with a six-hit shutout in St. Louis. But the right-hander struggled with his slider while al lowing all of Chicago's runs and six hits in 5ô innings.

        Boone flogged himself for that, too.

        “Pete pitched well. He deserved better than that,” Boone said. “That's the one thing you hate as a teammate, to adversely affect what the guy's doing on the mound. He battled hard and deserved a better fate.”

        If Boone's overall performance follows his pattern at the plate, he'll ultimately experience a better fate, too.

        He struck out in his first two at-bats against Lieber, extending his season-long hitless streak to 0-for-10. Boone wasn't the only Red to struggle against Lieber, who allowed three runs and eight hits in eight innings while striking out nine. Lieber relied primarily on his slider, but he might also have drawn strength from the Superman T-shirt he wore underneath his jersey. “It's a special thing for me,” he explained.

        Boone then did what every successful player does: He adjusted, which isn't always easy for a 26-year-old beginning his first full season in the majors. He singled off Lieber in his third at-bat before making the score close with his long ball off Cubs relief ace Rod Beck with two outs in the ninth. Beck retired pinch hitter Michael Tucker on a sharp grounder to first base, ending Chicago's twin four-game losing streaks — both this season and against the Reds here dating back to last year.

        “It's nice to get that first hit and home run out of the way,” Boone said.

        But he couldn't escape the memory of his error.

        “That kind of sours the day,” he said.

       

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