From time to time, Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray would head to the bleachers to broadcast a game.
Here’s one of those games. There’s more to the photo than you can see at the top of this post and therein lie the clues:
Since we have a lot of the scoreboard visible, it’s possible to narrow this down to a specific pitch.
You’ll note that No. 31 is starting for the Cubs. That number, of course, is now retired for Fergie Jenkins and Greg Maddux, both Hall of Famers who wore it. But until that number retirement
on May 3, 2009, it was issued to quite a number of other players, mostly pitchers.
With Leon Durham batting, this has to be 1984, 1985 or early 1986, after Jenkins left the team following the 1983 season and before Maddux made his MLB debut in late 1986.
The pitcher who wore No. 31 in that time frame was left-hander Ray Fontenot, who the Cubs acquired, along with Brian Dayett, from the Yankees for Porfi Altamirano, Rich Bordi, Henry Cotto and Ron Hassey in December 1984.
Seemed like a good idea at the time; Fontenot had thrown well enough for the Yankees and Dayett was an up-and-coming slugging prospect. Obviously, neither panned out and the Cubs probably would have been better off keeping Bordi, who could have been helpful to the ‘85 rotation after all the starters were injured, and also Cotto, who was a useful spare-part outfielder for nearly a decade with the Yankees and Mariners.
Back to this game: The Cubs are playing the Dodgers and No. 35 is starting for L.A. That’s Bob Welch. As you can see, Welch and Fontenot were locked in a scoreless tie at the time this photo was taken, with Leon Durham batting in the bottom of the sixth.
There were two out and no one on base when Durham batted. He grounded to second to end the inning.
The Dodgers scored three off Fontenot in the seventh. The Cubs could muster just one run, on a Ryne Sandberg RBI double in the eight, and lost this game 3-1. The Cubs fell to 44-39 after this loss and were 6.5 games out of first place. They went 33-45 the rest of the way.
This photo of Caray broadcasting from the Wrigley Field bleachers was taken Thursday, July 11, 1985.
