Cubs vs. Blue Jays - 6/8 - (recap)

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06/08/2005 4:23 PM ET
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Mitre dominates for first win of season
Starter outduels Halladay, records first career RBI on double
By Kelly Thesier / MLB.com

CHICAGO -- Standing on the mound in the sixth inning on Wednesday afternoon, Sergio Mitre reached down at his right calf muscle and tried to stretch it out as the Cubs head athletic trainer Mark O'Neal came out to see if everything was OK.

O'Neal had a short chat with Mitre, but the pitcher waved him back to the dugout and stayed in the game. A little thing like cramps couldn't stop Mitre, not when he was having a day to remember.

Mitre turned in one of the best performances of his young career with a seven-inning, two-hit shutout as he helped carry the Cubs (31-27) to a 2-0 victory over the Blue Jays (31-29) at Wrigley Field.

"I think it was just the humidity," Mitre said of his calf cramps.

On a day where temperatures soared into the high 80s, it seemed natural that humidity would be the only thing to slow Mitre (1-1) down. The 24-year-old retired 13 consecutive batters to begin the game and never looked back as he picked up his first win of the season.

He had a perfect game going into the top of the fifth when Aaron Hill hit a bouncer to third baseman Aramis Ramirez. Hill just beat Ramirez's throw to first, ending the hitless streak. Although he didn't record a no-hitter, Mitre's two hits were the fewest he has given up in his career.

What made the performance even more impressive was that Mitre did it against Toronto's No. 1 pitcher, Roy Halladay, arguably one of the best pitchers in the Major Leagues.

Halladay (9-3) is tied for the most wins in the American League at nine with the White Sox's Jon Garland. The 2003 American League Cy Young Award winner had won five straight decisions coming into Wednesday's game, but was outdueled by the young Cub.

"It was tough," Halladay said of the outing. "Mitre went out and did a great job. It's tough to get in games like that, when the other guy's doing a great job. You're trying to make pitches and get us back in the dugout."

The strong performance by Mitre against such a quality pitcher was not lost on manager Dusty Baker either. Baker has been one of Mitre's biggest supporters throughout his short career and preached during Spring Training about the type of player that Mitre could become.

"This is the kind of young man you pull for because he does work so hard," Baker said of Mitre. "He went to Triple-A, shortened his arm stroke, changed and rearranged a few things. It's worked out well for him.

"That was a great performance by him, especially to outduel a great pitcher like Roy Halladay. We needed that badly to avoid the sweep and get a win at the house."

For Mitre, this performance was almost more of a relief, as he feels this is the way he is capable of pitching.

"I think it's about time," Mitre said of the performance. "I've been up here a couple of times already so I feel like I can get it done. It's about time I start doing it and being more consistent."

Things just kept going Mitre's way, and not just on the mound. The right-hander recorded the first RBI of his career in the bottom of the third to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead.

Todd Hollandsworth led off the inning with a double to the left-field corner, and Mitre hit a line-drive double down the third-base line to score Hollandsworth. It would be the only run the Cubs would need, but they added one more later that inning when Corey Patterson hit an RBI single to center, scoring Mitre and giving the Cubs a 2-0 lead.

The double by Hollandsworth was one of his two hits on the day. It snapped a three-game hitless streak, but Hollandsworth was more concerned about how good it felt for the team to snap a two-game losing streak rather than his ability to get some hits.

"We needed that game more than life," Hollandsworth said. "We had some tough breaks last night, but came back today and battled. Sergio stepped up when we needed him most. With a guy like Halladay, his track record speaks for itself. We scratched a couple off of him early and made it stand up."

The day may have belonged to Mitre, but he got some help in completing the shutout. Michael Wuertz pitched one inning, giving up one walk and striking out one. Ryan Dempster came in to close out the game for the Cubs. He didn't make it easy as he allowed a single and walked a batter to bring the winning run to the plate. Dempster would end the threat by striking out Orlando Hudson and picking up his seventh save of the year.

Mitre may have had everything go his way on Wednesday, but he warned not to expect that type of performance every time, at least not at the plate.

"It felt great to hit it," Mitre said of his game-winning hit. "But I'm not a hitter, I'm a pitcher."

Kelly Thesier is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Great performance by Mitre, 7 shut out innings, and allowed only 2 hits.
Check this out,
Doesn't Mitre look a bit like Fez from That 70's Show?

Anyway, great job, beating Halladay.