Andy MacPhail resigned as president of the Chicago
Cubs on Sunday after an 8-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies in
what was likely Dusty Baker's final game as manager.
Juan Pierre hit a go-ahead single in a three-run seventh inning
for the Cubs, who rallied from an early 4-0 deficit. They finished
66-96, the worst record in the National League.
After the game, MacPhail announced his resignation. He had been
with the Cubs since 1994 as president and CEO, and was the team's
general manager for a time.
Baker, without a contract extension after four years, will meet
Monday with general manager Jim Hendry and is not expected to be
retained.
``I have no regrets about coming here or nothing,'' Baker said
before the game. ``I just wish we could have gotten it done.''
Baker's four-year record with the Cubs is 322-326. He was booed
in the seventh inning when he went to the mound to change pitchers.
Colorado scored four in the third off Wade Miller on Kaz Matsui's
two-run homer and Brad Hawpe's two-run, bases-loaded single.
Aramis Ramirez, who can opt out of his contract after the season,
hit a two-run homer in the fourth to get the Cubs within 4-2.
Scott Moore singled with two outs in the seventh and Henry Blanco
walked to finish Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez, who had given up
just three hits in his first major league start.
Ronnie Cedeno hit an RBI single off reliever Jeremy Affeldt (4-2)
to make it 4-3, and Chicago tied in when Rockies shortstop Clint
Barnes fumbled pinch-hitter Angel Pagan's grounder for an error.
Pierre followed with an RBI single to left to put the Cubs ahead.
The Cubs added three in the eighth on John Mabry's RBI single and
a two-run triple by Cedeno. Garrett Atkins hit his 29th homer in the
Rockies ninth.
David Aardsma (3-0) got the win, getting two outs.
Miller, in his fifth start, gave up six hits and four runs in
four innings. He spent most of the season on the disabled list
recovering from shoulder surgery.
Notes: The Rockies finished 76-86, a nine-win improvement from
2005. ... Jimenez was 14-4 in double-A and triple-A combined this
season before being called up. He made his major league debut in
relief last week. ... Cubs rookie pitchers started 78 games this
season. ... The Wrigley Field grounds crew sang during the
seventh-inning stretch. ... A crowd of 39,609 pushed the Cubs'
season home attendance to 3,123,215 _ second largest in team
history. The most well attended home season came in 2004 _
3,170,184.
