Cubs' Montero belts game-winning pinch-hit grand slam
The Los Angeles Dodgers thought they'd escaped unscathed. Then Miguel Montero came to the plate.
The Chicago Cubs catcher - who almost didn't make the NLCS roster due to a back issue - came off the bench Saturday to deliver a pinch-hit grand slam off Joe Blanton. The blast put the Cubs up 7-3 in the eighth inning, and sent the Friendly Confines into a frenzy that literally made the park's press box shake. Chicago held on to win 8-4.
#WeAreNotTiedAnymore pic.twitter.com/BjGe32mLQ6
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) October 16, 2016
Montero's blast - the first playoff home run of his career - was just the third pinch-hit grand slam in postseason history, and the first game-winning pinch-hit slam since the playoffs began in 1903.
"I never even thought I was going to hit at that point,'' Montero told reporters after the game. "To be honest, I thought (Joe) Maddon put me out there just to bring the lefty and get (Willson) Contreras to pinch-hit for me, and they didn't bring the lefty for Contreras."
| Date | Series | Player | Team | Opp. | Inning | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/6/1995 | NLDS G3 | Mark Lewis | Reds | Dodgers | 6th | 10-1 CIN |
| 10/17/1999 | ALCS G4 | Ricky Ledee | Yankees | Red Sox | 9th | 9-2 NYY |
| 10/15/2016 | NLCS G1 | Miguel Montero | Cubs | Dodgers | 8th | 8-4 CHC |
(Courtesy: Baseball-Reference)
Montero's slam was the fourth in Wrigley Field's postseason history, and the first hit by a Cub, according to Christopher Kamka of CSN Chicago. San Francisco's Will Clark, Atlanta's Eddie Perez, and the Dodgers' James Loney hit the others.
Before the press box-shaking noise could die down, Dexter Fowler added another run with a solo shot off Blanton to extend the Cubs' lead.
Los Angeles tied the game 3-3 in the eighth inning off Aroldis Chapman.
(Video courtesy: MLB.com)