Former Cubs pitcher Rick Sutcliffe, who has worked for many years as a broadcaster for both the Padres and ESPN, often talks baseball to various groups as a featured speaker. Having heard him speak, I can tell you he’s a good storyteller.
Inevitably, the 1984 Cubs, for whom Sutcliffe starred with a 16-1 W/L record (back when pitcher wins still meant something), a 2.69 ERA, 1.073 WHIP and 6.0 fWAR, will come up as a topic of Rick’s conversation. And that’s when he’ll tell you that the Cubs were at a disadvantage because Major League Baseball took away a home date from the Cubs in the National League Championship Series, forcing them to play three games in San Diego.