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The 1998 National League wild-card tie-breaker game was a one-game extension to Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1998 regular season, played between the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants to determine the winner of the National League (NL) wild card. The game took place at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, on September 28, 1998. The Cubs won the game 5–3, holding the Giants scoreless for the majority of the game until the Giants threatened heavily in the ninth inning and scored all three of their runs. As a result of the game, the Cubs qualified for the postseason and the Giants did not. The game was necessary after both teams finished the season with identical win–loss records of 89–73. The Cubs won a coin flip late in the season which, by rule at the time, awarded them home field for the game. This victory advanced the Cubs to the 1998 NL Division Series (NLDS) where they were swept by the Atlanta Braves, ending the Cubs' season. Michael Jordan, a popular Chicago sportsman then ending his career with the Chicago Bulls, threw the game's ceremonial first pitch. In baseball statistics, the tie-breaker counted as the 163rd regular season game for both teams, with all events in the game added to regular season statistics. ==Background== The Chicago Cubs finished the previous season at the bottom of the Central division with a 68–94 record while the Giants won the West at 90–72, though were defeated by the eventual 1997 World Series champion Florida Marlins in the NLDS. The Giants' Barry Bonds drew criticism for his postseason performance, which had been a recurring criticism dating back to his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Cubs made several offseason acquisitions following the 1997 season including trading Doug Glanville for second baseman Mickey Morandini along with signing Jeff Blauser and Henry Rodriguez as free agents. One notable event of the 1998 season was the race for the home run title and Roger Maris' single-season record of 61 home runs between the Cubs' Sammy Sosa and the Cardinals' Mark McGwire. McGwire ultimately won, setting a new record of 70 while Sosa closed the season with 66. Bonds would top their totals with 73 home runs in 2001, setting the current record, while McGwire and Sosa's totals remain the second and third highest figures in MLB history.〔 Additionally, three teams finished the 1998 season within one game of one another in the race for the National League wild card: the Cubs, Giants, and New York Mets. This late-season race included a dramatic Cubs loss to the Brewers on September 23. The Cubs led 7–5 with two outs and the bases loaded for the Brewers in the bottom of the ninth inning when Brant Brown dropped a fly ball, allowing three unearned runs to score on his error and losing the Cubs the game. This loss gained notoriety for announcer and former-Cub Ron Santo's call of the final play, yelling "Oh, no!" as the final runs scored. The Mets were tied with the Cubs and Giants in the wild-card race as late in the season as September 25 at 88–72. However, the Mets lost their remaining two games and finished their season one game back of the Cubs and Giants who ended tied at 89–73. This record was also the best non-division-winning record and as such a tie-breaker was necessary to determine the wild-card winner. A coin flip on September 14 gave the Cubs' home field advantage, setting Wrigley Field as the location for the game. In the event of a three-way tie the Cubs were presented with the choice to either host two home games or receive a bye and play the winner of a Mets-Giants game on the road because they had the best combined record against the Mets and Giants.〔 Cubs' general manager Ed Lynch decided on the second option, though the choice was moot as the Mets fell out of the race.〔 The Cubs' Steve Trachsel and Mark Gardner of the Giants were slated to start the tie-breaker on the September 28. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「1998 National League Wild Card tie-breaker game」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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