Cubs, Cardinals Hopeful Cooler Heads Prevail
By Chris Emma--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Cooler heads prevailed for Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo soon after he was hit by pitch for the second time in Friday's 8-3 win.
But the moment that Rizzo was thrown at, he was infuriated. St. Louis outfielder Matt Holiday was hit in the head earlier in the game by a Dan Haren pitch, so it seemed to be retaliation from Matt Belisle.
"Obviously, at that moment, I want to kill someone, because I know it's intentional," Rizzo said Saturday. "We didn't hit Holiday on purpose there. Thankfully, he's alright -- I hope he's alright. In that moment, you want to go out and strangle someone, but it's not necessary right now, especially with the position we're in."
Rizzo's second plunking marked his 29th of the season, far past a franchise record. The first time he was hit Friday, he simply took his base. But the second time, he glanced toward the mound and exchanged words as Belisle was ejected. Rizzo was hit on the pant leg on a pitch thrown below the waist.
Following Friday's game, Cubs manager Joe Maddon was outspoken with anger directed toward the Cardinals.
"I'm really disappointed in what the Cardinals did right there," Maddon said. "We did not hit their guy on purpose at all. That was an absolute mistake. There was no malicious intent on Dan Haren's whatsoever.
"To become this vigilante group that wants to get their own pound of flesh, that's absolutely insane, ridiculous and wrong. We don't start stuff, but we will stop stuff. We will end stuff.
The Cubs and Cardinals play again Saturday. Prior to the game, both Rizzo and Maddon were seeking an end to this, hoping the Cardinals would cooperate.
"We go about our business the way we go about it," said Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, downplaying the events.
On Friday, the Cubs were fearing retaliation from the Cardinals. Haren even warned Rizzo that he was likely to be the target.
"Sometimes teams overreact when people get hit," Rizzo said. "I've been hit 29 times this year; we've not thrown at one person. There's another incident this year where we feel like they intentionally threw me as well, and we didn't do anything about it."
Chicago is starting Travis Wood on Saturday, relying heavily on its bullpen, while St. Louis has Michael Wacha on the mound.
However, Rizzo did have some humor about it.
"Luckily, I'm used to getting hit," he said. "One more and I'm 30-30."
Follow Chris on Twitter @CEmma670.
