back to the North Coast

The Astros are back in action in Chicago tonight where the North Coast/South Coast baseball rivarlry will no doubt be rekindled, and where it's entirely possible that Craig Biggio will get hit by a pitch. Rookie Carlos Marmol will be on the mound for the Cubs tonight looking for his third career hit batter, and his first plunk of a team other than the Milwaukee Brewers. Marmol has hit a batter in 2 of his last 3 games, but one of them was Rickie Weeks, who not many pitchers have missed this year.

On July 18, 1989, Sid Fernandez threw what would become Craig Biggio's 4th career HBP. On July 18, 2001, Biggio was plunked in the first inning by Mike Mathews and in the 7th inning by Andy Benes. Biggio scored a run after both of those plunks, being driven in by a Jeff Bagwell single in the first inning and a Jeff Bagwell triple in the 7th. That triple completed the Cycle for Bagwell, having hit both a double and a homer in the 5th inning. That was the only game in Bagwell's career in which he hit for the cycle.