Red Line Doubleheader Game 1: Astros at Cubs

With the Cubs game starting at 1:20 pm and the White Sox game starting at 7:11 pm, I planned to attend my first red line doubleheader since April 22, 2008. Red Line doubleheaders (where under normal circumstances the Cubs play an afternoon game at Wrigley Field and the White Sox play a night game at U.S. Cellular Field) generally occur once or twice per season. Yesterday was an unscheduled red line doubleheader as the original Cubs game on May 15 was postponed and scheduled for today. It was the second and last red line doubleheader of the season.

Pre Game Dining
Before the Cubs game, I met my friend and his dad at Ann Sather’s located at 909 W. Belmont Ave. I knew Ann Sather’s was a tourist attraction, but, to my surprise, there were more Cubs fans than I expected dining in the restaurant before trekking the four blocks north to Wrigley Field. Ann Sather’s is famous for its cinnamon buns with lots of frosting.

Obtaining Tickets
For the third game in a row, I sold my season tickets to my friend and his father before the game. Rather than try to negotiate with scalpers or find a free ticket outside the stadium, I bought a $15 Standing Room Only ticket. As usual, there were seats available in the section where my season tickets are located so I sat with my friends for the game.

The Game
For the second game in a row, the Cubs scored 12 runs to defeat the Houston Astros 12-3. This time the Cubs scored 9 runs off of Astros’ pitcher Russ Ortiz as Ortiz left the game with one out in the third inning. In a strange sequence of events, the Cubs winning pitcher, Kevin Hart, was traded and the Astros losing pitcher, Ortiz, was released immediately following the game.