• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Ramirez's walk-off lifts Cubs over White Sox

Jun 20, 2008 - 11:37 PM CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Aramis Ramirez gave round one of the highly anticipated series in the "Windy City" to the team from the north side.

Ramirez blasted a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Chicago Cubs to a 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Friday.

The win was the 12th straight at Wrigley Field for the Cubs, who have not lost at home since May 17.

"We've got confidence," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said. "We've been able to come from behind quite a bit this year. Today was no exception. Our big boys got the job done today, which is good to see."

Coming into the game, the teams had split the first 60 meetings since interleague play began in 1997, but it was the first time that the White Sox and Cubs had met as division leaders.

With the score tied at 3-3 in the ninth, Ramirez led off the bottom half of the inning and hit a 1-0 offering to dead center field off White Sox reliever Scott Linebrink (2-2), sending the crowd - mixed with fans of both teams - into a frenzy.

"Anytime you try to hit a home run, you won't hit it," Ramirez said. "I just tried to hit the ball hard. I hit it pretty good, but I hit it on the line dead center. I wasn't sure (if it would be a home run)."

The Cubs had trailed, 3-1, in the bottom of the seventh, but Derrek Lee and Ramirez hit back-to-back home runs to lead off the inning and tie the game off White Sox reliever Octavio Dotel.

"I thought he threw the ball well, but with Lee and Ramirez, he threw one wrong pitch to each one of them," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said of Dotel.

Jermaine Dye hit his fifth home run in as many games in the second inning to tie the contest at 1-1 and A.J. Pierzynski had a two-run shot in the third off Cubs starter Ted Lilly to give the White Sox a two-run lead.

White Sox starter John Danks pitched six strong innings, allowing just one run and five hits with five strikeouts.

"It's a tough loss to swallow, especially when you have it set up the way you wanted it," Pierzynski said. "Six innings out of your starter, then one each from your set-up men and your closer. It's frustrating, but what can you do but go out and get them tomorrow."

Cubs reliever Kerry Wood (4-1) worked around a leadoff double in the ninth to pick up the win.

"We got some good pitching from Lilly, Bob Howry and Wood," Piniella said. "It was a heck of a ballgame, an exciting finish. We've been playing a lot of exciting finishes lately."