The hit by Luis Salazar that won this day’s game might have been the single play that cemented the NL East title for the Cubs in 1989.
To understand that statement, a little context is needed. Salazar had been acquired in trade just 10 days earlier from the Padres. It was just his ninth game as a Cub, and he didn’t start it — he entered the game as a sub in the eighth inning.
As for the Cubs, they had led the division by 4.5 games after defeating the Reds Aug. 17. Then they lost six in a row and 13
of 20 entering this Saturday game against the Cardinals. The previous afternoon, they had blown a 7-1 lead and lost 11-8, reducing their division lead over St. Louis to just half a game.
So you could have forgiven Cubs fans if they were pretty nervous heading into this game, started by Rick Sutcliffe. To add to the mood of the day, a light drizzle fell for most of the afternoon. A successful squeeze by Dwight Smith gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the first, which they held until the Cardinals pushed two runs across against Sutcliffe in the sixth.
The Cubs tied the game in the bottom of the eighth. Smith led off with a single and when Brunansky hesitated picking up the ball in right field, Smith took off for second. Brunansky’s throw was late and he was charged with an error. Smith eventually took third on a groundout and scored the tying run on a single by Salazar.
Neither team scored in the ninth and the game went to extras. Paul Assenmacher, another excellent late-season acquisition in 1989, set the Cardinals down 1-2-3 in the top of the 10th.
With one out in the bottom of the inning, Andre Dawson took a close 3-2 pitch for ball four. Four pitches later, Salazar smacked a Ken Dayley offering down the right-field line for a game-winning double. The video below includes both the game-tying and game-winning hits by Salazar:
I will never forget Andre Dawson — who had a bad knee that limited him to 118 games that year — tearing around third base, determined to score that winning run. The Cubs won their next five to increase their division lead to 5.5 games and were never challenged by the Cardinals after that.
Salazar had played several good seasons for the Padres, Tigers and White Sox before San Diego reacquired him from Detroit just prior to the 1989 season — for Mike Brumley, who was once a Cub. The Cubs acquired him, along with Marvell Wynne, for Darrin Jackson, Calvin Schiraldi and Phil Stephenson, a very good deal for the Cubs. Salazar played in 26 games for the Cubs in ‘89 and batted .325/.357/.425 in 80 at-bats. He played three more seasons with the Cubs from 1990-92, hitting 14 home runs in 103 games in 1991, before retiring and beginning a long coaching career, mostly as a Triple-A hitting coach, also managing in the Brewers and Dodgers organizations.
In 2011, Salazar joined the Braves organization and was going to be the manager of their High-A affiliate. During a Spring Training game that year, he was hit in the left eye while in the Braves dugout and, unfortunately, had to have the eye removed. He did return to manage the Lynchburg Hillcats that year, and continued managing in the Braves organization through 2018.
And on Sept. 9, 1989 he made one of the most memorable walkoff hits in Cubs franchise history.
