CHICAGO — German Marquez thought he was dealing in the first inning Friday afternoon. Home plate umpire Dan Bellino thought otherwise.
And so what looked like a one-two-three inning turned into a 30-pitch odyssey in which the Cubs scored two runs. That eventually led to Marquez’s departure after three innings and 80 pitches thrown. It was the shortest start of the rookie’s infant career.
“It was kind of a tough day and I’ve been better,” he said. “Sometimes I got frustrated because I thought a couple of those pitches were strikes. It kind of frustrated me, but I just resolved myself and tried to keep us in the game.