Cubs historical sleuthing: Jerome Walton edition

Dec 8, 2022 - 8:00 PM

Getty Images says:

CINCINNATI REDS INFIELDER RON OESTER TURNS A DOUBLE PLAY DURING THE REDS VERSUS CHICAGO CUBS GAME AT WRIGLEY FIELD IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Yes, in all caps. Anyway: This photo has to be from 1990. Why? Because that’s obviously Jerome Walton sliding into second base, and he’s wearing a uniform with a belt. The Cubs wore beltless pants from 1972 through 1989 and switched back to belts in 1990. 1990 was also Ron Oester’s last year as a MLB player, so it can’t be later than that.

Oester played three games at Wrigley Field in 1990. I looked through the play-by-play of all three games and didn’t find a single instance of Walton being out at second as the first out of a double play in any of those games.

Further, two of the three games were night games and so... it’s got to be from the third game.

That game was played Tuesday, May 22, 1990. Walton led off the bottom of the first inning with a single and was forced at second by Ryne Sandberg. It’s the only possible play, not a double play — Oester’s relay obviously didn’t get Sandberg.

This game went 16 innings. No one scored at all until the 13th, when both teams scored single runs, both on leadoff solo homers: Chris Sabo for Cincinnati, Luis Salazar for the Cubs.

In the bottom of the 16th, Sandberg singled with one out. Mark Grace reached on an error and Sandberg took third. Andre Dawson was intentionally walked to load the bases and Dave Clark then singled in the winning run. Here’s that winning hit:

The video is complete with shots of a very young looking Lou Piniella in the Reds dugout.

The Cubs won the game 2-1 but were in fifth place in the NL East at 19-20.