Baseball

NLCS: Beckett keys the comeback

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer
Published October 16, 2003

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CHICAGO - Catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez was named series MVP and Miguel Cabrera had the big hits, including a rookie record three home runs.

But the player who had the most to do with the Marlins' stunning victory may have been pitcher Josh Beckett.

"You can't say enough about what Beckett did," Florida's Jack McKeon said.

His two-hit shutout in Game 5 proved to be the pivotal game of the series, both managers said. The right-hander, 23, came back on two days' rest with four innings of one-hit relief in Wednesday's clincher.

"There's no question he turned the series around when he stopped the Cubs," McKeon said. "They had a great deal of momentum going for them. He shut them out Sunday and then he was so determined he wanted to pitch again. We were going to go three innings with him, he said he could go four. And the way he was throwing the ball ... we had to win this one.

"So it was a tremendous effort on his part. We talked a lot about what kind of pitcher he would be in the future. And I guess his future is now."

Beckett said coming back to pitch Wednesday was not that big of a deal.

"It's not that miraculous," he said. "It was my bullpen day. I probably threw a couple extra pitches than I would have. But that's what we needed to do to win and it worked out."

IVAN THE MVP: Rodriguez was named MVP for hitting .321 in the series with two homers and an NLCS record 11 RBIs.

Pretty good for a guy who ended up with the Marlins by default, signing a one-year, $10-million contract.

"This is what you work for, the MVP, being in the World Series, playing the game hard," he said. "I wanted to show the world that Ivan Rodriguez is still healthy and has a lot of years left in baseball."

BUSY GOATS: The Billy Goat Tavern was a busy place Tuesday, between the patrons stopping by to pet the goat sitting in one corner and the dozen TV crews and handful of print reporters who stopped by, and another 15-20 who called, to interview owner Sam Sianis about the curse his uncle Bill supposedly put on the Cubs in 1945.

Though some could blame the Sianis family for the Cubs woes, Sam Sianis said he never gets any negative reaction. He was outside the stadium with a goat Tuesday and planned to be again Wednesday.

"People were all around," Sianis said. "People came up to take pictures, pet the goat and do interviews."

RECORD WATCH: Rodriguez set an NLCS record with his 10th RBI; Matt Williams had nine for San Francisco in 1989. ... The 23 home runs were a record for any postseason series. ... Cabrera set an NLCS record by scoring his ninth run and became the first rookie to hit more than one homer in an NLCS. ... The teams combined to surpass the NLCS records for runs (82), hits (133), and extra-base hits (133). ... Kerry Wood is the fourth pitcher to homer in NLCS history, the first since Rick Sutcliffe in 1984.

MISCELLANY: This was the sixth NLCS to go to seven games, the first since 1996 when Atlanta beat St. Louis. ... The Marlins' three runs were their first in the first inning of the series. ... Chicago Tribune headline on Tuesday's game: THE MITT HITS THE FAN.

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