1984 Sandberg Two HRs vs Cardinals

Lore & Background

Citarella made his first MLB start on June 23, 1984, a nationally televised NBC Game of the Week at Wrigley Field versus the Chicago Cubs. He pitched 5.1 innings and hit an RBI single that sparked a six-run second inning for the Cardinals. The Cardinals held a 9-3 lead when Citarella left the game in the sixth inning with two runners on base. That meant Citarella would have earned his first major-league win, even though both of those Cub base runners scored, if the Cardinals had maintained the lead. The high-scoring extra-inning affair came to be known as the 'Sandberg Game' in recognition of Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg, who homered to tie the game in the ninth inning and again in the tenth against Bruce Sutter.

In Their Own Story

The humidity hung heavy over St. Louis as the eleventh inning began, the score tied at 10-10. The crowd noise was a dull roar, a mix of Cardinal faith and Cubs anxiety. Ryne Sandberg dug his cleats into the dirt, his jersey already soaked with sweat from nine grueling innings. He looked across the plate at Bruce Sutter, whose knuckleballer had silenced batters all night. Sutter wound up and delivered. Sandberg didn't hesitate. The crack of the bat echoed like a gunshot, and the ball soared deep into left-center field. It cleared the fence. The Cubs took the lead, 11-10. But Sutter returned to the mound for the bottom of the eleventh with the same icy demeanor. Sandberg stepped in again, eyes locked on the pitcher's hand. Another pitch, another swing, and another ball sailing over the wall. The stadium fell silent as the Cubs players poured onto the field in a chaotic celebration, sealing a victory that would define an era.

Reader's Guide

Citarella made his major league debut on September 13, 1983, in relief at Three Rivers Stadium. He struck out the first batter he faced, catcher Tony Peña, in the 7th inning. In 1.2 innings that night he gave up one hit (a double to Johnny Ray) and one earned run. In 3 seasons he appeared in a total of 21 games and had a 0–1 record, 2 starts, 0 complete games, and 6 games finished. In 44.1 innings pitched he gave up 20 earned runs for an ERA of 4.06, and had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2 to 1 (28 strikeouts and 14 walks).

Did You Know?

• Citarella was raised in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, and played prep baseball at Bishop Ahr High School (since renamed as St. Thomas Aquinas High School).
• He was successful in his two short stints with St. Louis, posting ERAs of 1.64 and 3.63, but didn't fare as well with the White Sox in 1987, giving up nine earned runs in eleven innings, including four home runs.
• After retiring in 1988, Citarella became the Athletic Relations Liaison for the Habana Joe Trading Company for its Dock to Dine men's clothing line in 2006, and from 2012 to 2013 served as pitching coach for the Newark B