Page "Chicago Cubs" Paragraph 38

The ' 98 season would begin on a somber note with the death of legendary broadcaster Harry Caray.

After the retirement of Sandberg and the trade of Dunston, the Cubs had holes to fill and the signing of Henry Rodriguez, known affectionately at " H-Rod " to bat cleanup provided protection for Sammy Sosa in the lineup, as Rodriguez slugged 31 round-trippers in his first season in Chicago.

Rod Beck anchored a strong bullpen and Mark Grace turned in one of his best seasons.

The Cubs were swamped by media attention in 1998, and the team's two biggest headliners were Sosa and rookie flamethrower Kerry Wood.

Wood's signature performance was one-hitting the Houston Astros, a game in which he tied the major league record of 20 strikeouts in nine innings.

His torrid strikeout numbers earned Wood the nickname " Kid K ," and ultimately earned him the 1998 NL Rookie of the Year award.

Sosa caught fire in June, hitting a major league record 20 home runs in the month, and his home run race with Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire transformed the pair into international superstars in a matter of weeks.

McGwire finished the season with a new major league record of 70 homeruns, but Sosa's. 308 average and 66 homers earned him the National League MVP Award.

After a down-to-the-wire Wild Card chase with the San Francisco Giants, Chicago and San Francisco ended the regular season tied, and thus squared off in a one game playoff at Wrigley Field in which third baseman Gary Gaetti hit the eventual game winning homer.

The win propelled the Cubs into the postseason once again with a 90 – 73 regular season tally.

Unfortunately, the bats went cold in October, as manager Jim Riggleman's club batted. 183 and scored only four runs en route to being swept by Atlanta.

On a positive note, the home run chase between Sosa, McGwire and Ken Griffey, Jr. helped professional baseball to bring in a new crop of fans as well as bringing back some fans who had been disillusioned by the 1994 strike.

The Cubs retained many players who experienced career years in ' 98, and after a fast start in 1999, they collapsed again ( starting with being swept at the hands of the cross-town White Sox in mid-June ) and finished in the bottom of the division for the next two seasons.