Cubs' 6-Run Inning Stuns Mets

The Chicago Cubs may want to add a few more Beanie Baby promotions.

Sammy Sosa hit a three-run double and scored on a wild pitch in a six-run fifth inning Sunday, leading the Cubs to a 8-4 victory over the New York Mets.

Sosa went 2-for-4 with a leadoff double in the seventh on "Sammy the Bear" Beanie Baby day, a promotion celebrated by a sellout crowd of 39,265. The Cubs now are 4-1 when the tiny stuffed animals are handed out.

"He said, `You are the man in the Dominican and here, too, in Chicago, so c'mon, let's go. You can do it,"' Sosa said. "Inside I was relaxed and so calm because I've been in those situations before."

Does Grace say that a lot to Sosa?

"Not a lot because we haven't had a lot of opportunities," Sosa said, laughing.

It was the Cubs' first Beanie Baby promotion since last Sept. 13, when they distributed "Gracie the Swan" for Grace. Sosa hit home runs No. 61 and 62 en route to 66 for the season, and Grace hit a game-winning homer in the 10th inning in that game.

"We've got to have Beanie Baby day every day," Sosa said.

Lance Johnson hit a two-run double and Tyler Houston added a two-run triple for the Cubs. Rodney Myers (0-1) got the win with 1 1-3 innings of no-hit relief.

Orel Hershiser (1-2) took the loss, giving up five runs on four hits and five walks over four-plus innings.

"I had no idea where the ball was going and it showed," Hershiser said. "Maybe I got up on the wrong side of the bed or something."

"Hershiser was struggling the whole game," Mets manager Bobby Valentine said. "He was behind the whole game, on every hitter. That's not Orel."

Edgardo Alfonzo, Robin Ventura and Rickey Henderson each hit solo homers for the Mets. New York catcher Mike Piaza, sidelined since spraining his right knee April 9, came off the disabled list and went 1-for-5 with an RBI single.

"After a few swings and the adrenalin wore off, I felt pretty good," Piazza said. "I saw the ball well and wasn't jumping at pitches. It felt good running and I feel strong. But I don't feel so good about losing this game."

Trailing 3-0, the Cubs loaded the bases in the fifth. Houston singled, Jose Hernandez walked and Myers reached on a bunt single as third baseman Ventura waited for the ball to go foul. Johnson doubled, with the ball rolling into the visitor's bullpen, to score Houston and Hernandez.

"It looked like it was going to go foul," Ventura said. "I played it that way and it didn't go very far. It just stuck there."

"Today, the grass was in my favor," Myers said.

Hershiser then hit Mickey Morandini to load the bases again and Sosa greeted Turk Wendell with a bases-clearing double for a 5-3 lead. Four batters later, Sosa scored on a wild pitch by Wendell.

Hershiser questioned whether his pitch really hit Morandini.

"I thought maybe the bat hit the helmet," Hershiser said.

"It nicked something," Morandini said.

Houston hit a two-run triple in the seventh.

Cubs starter Brad Woodall gave up five hits three of them homers and walked two over 4 2-3 innings.

Notes: Two fans ran onto the field in the ninth, got down on their knees in front of Sosa and bowed with their hands extended in a salute to the right fielder. Sosa shook their hands before they were escorted off the field by security officials. "They said, `You're the man, you're my idol,"' Sosa said. ... The rainbow-colored "Sammy the Bear" Beanie Baby was given to the first 12,000 kids entering Wrigley Field. ... Woodall started in place of Jon Lieber, who was hit in the right eye by a thrown ball during batting practice Saturday. Lieber has two small fractures in his face near his nose and a purple bruise under the eye, but he was expected to start Friday. ... Catcher Vance Wilson was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk to make room for Piazza on the Mets roster. The Mets will play the Norfolk team Monday in an exhibition. ... Cubs reliever Matt Karchner left the game in the eighth with a pulled groin. He was listed as day-to-day.

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