Lowell's homer puts Cubs in hole

Sammy Sosa sent the game to extra innings with a two-run homer.
CHICAGO (AP) -- Sammy Sosa swung and Wrigley Field shook. He'd done it, saving the Chicago Cubs from certain defeat with the most dramatic -- and overdue -- home run of his career.
"Coming through with two outs, everybody was ready to go home," Sosa said.
Only one problem: Sosa's two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth inning only tied Game 1 of the NL championship series.
And that left just enough room for the resilient Florida Marlins.
Mike Lowell led off the 11th inning with a pinch-hit home run and the Marlins silenced the old ball park, beating the Cubs 9-8 Tuesday night.
"It just kept going back and forth. Weird," Lowell said. "It was kind of like a boxing match."
Extra-base bonanza
In a game featuring seven homers, four triples and six doubles, Sosa's drive was the most stirring. His ball sailed far beyond the ivy-covered wall in left and landed on packed Waveland Avenue, turning it into Bedlam Boulevard.
At long last, his big October moment had arrived and everyone within earshot went crazy. Well, almost everyone.
"We didn't celebrate, for sure," Marlins manager Jack McKeon said. "I think there was a pause right there."
The Marlins, though, were far from finished. Having overcome an early four-run deficit with a homer and five RBIs by Ivan Rodriguez, they won it with Lowell.
"Despite the way we've been playing, they just kept coming back, coming back," Sosa said. "They have a lot of heart for a young team."
The Cubs found out firsthand.
Emotional twists
"That's playoff baseball," Chicago manager Dusty Baker said. "It was full of emotional twists. I'm sure everyone is emotionally exhausted.
"It's disheartening. We had an opportunity to win the game. Sad we came out on the short end, very sad."
Game 2 is tonight, with Brad Penny pitching for Florida and Mark Prior going for the Cubs.
An All-Star third baseman, Lowell missed almost all of the final four weeks of the regular season because of a broken left hand, and has played sparingly in the postseason. He was ready for his first pinch-hitting appearance this year, batting for winning pitcher Ugueth Urbina and launching a drive over the center-field wall off Mark Guthrie.
The sellout crowd of 39,567 started rocking as Moises Alou homered in a four-run first. But the Marlins, who posted three comeback wins over San Francisco in the opening round, stormed back when Rodriguez, rookie Miguel Cabrera and Juan Encarnacion homered in a five-run third.
"These guys don't quit, and it was very evident today," McKeon said.
Looper wins
Braden Looper pitched the 11th for a save, giving the Marlins a win and a nice omen. The last 10 teams to win the NLCS opener have reached the World Series.
After avoiding Barry Bonds in the first round, McKeon said he would pitch to Sosa in this series.
And it was a good decision -- up until Slammin' Sammy took his final swing.
Sosa tied it with a no-doubt drive to left field, connecting off Urbina.
Sosa pointed to the sky as he touched home plate, as much in joy as in relief. The slugger with 539 career homers had been only 5-for-31 with zero homers and one RBI in postseason play, and his playoff slumps were starting to cloud his regular season accomplishments.
"I just tried to stay calm," he said.
Rodriguez put the Marlins ahead 8-6 with yet another big postseason hit, a two-run single in the ninth right after a disputed play.
With runners on first and second and one out, Luis Castillo hit a slow grounder to second baseman Mark Grudzielanek. He fielded it cleanly, but fumbled it as he tried to tag Juan Pierre and start an inning-ending double play.
Pierre scampered to second as the bases became loaded. Baker argued umpire Fieldin Culbreth's call to no avail.
Rodriguez took advantage with a liner past Grudzielanek that broke a 6-all tie.
FLORIDACHICAGO
abrhbiabrhbi
Pierre cf5210Lofton cf4210
LCstillo 2b5130Grdzln 2b5121
IRdrgz c5125SSosa rf5112
DeLee 1b5000Alou lf4112
Cbrera 3b6221ARmrz 3b5110
Looper p0000Simon 1b5110
JEcrcn rf5121ASGzlz ss5133
Conine lf4011Guthrie p0000
AGnzlz ss5000Alfnsca p0000
Beckett p3010Bako c3000
CFox p0000Frnswr p0000
Hlndsw ph1110Godwin ph1000
Urbina p0000Brwski p0000
Lowell 3b1111REMtiz ss1000
Zmbrno p2000
Rmlngr p0000
DMiller c3010
Totals459149Totals438118
Florida00500100201--9
Chicago40000200200--8
E--AGonzalez (1), Grudzielanek (1). DP--Florida 1, Chicago 1. LOB--Florida 8, Chicago 5. 2B--LCastillo (1), Hollandsworth (1), Lofton (1), Simon (1), ASGonzalez (1), DMiller (1). 3B--Pierre (1), Conine (1), Grudzielanek (1), ARamirez (1). HR--IRodriguez (1), Cabrera (1), JEncarnacion (1), Lowell (1), SSosa (1), Alou (1), ASGonzalez (1). SB--LCastillo 2 (2). CS--Pierre (1). S--Lofton. SF--Conine.
IPHRERBBSO
Florida
Beckett6 1-386615
CFox1 2-310011
Urbina W,1-0222202
Looper S,1100001
Chicago
Zambrano696513
Remlinger1-310000
Farnsworth1 2-300003
Borowski222111
Guthrie L,0-11-311100
Alfonseca2-310020
PB--Bako. Umpires--Home, Jerry Crawford; First, Chuck Meriwether; Second, Fieldin Culbreth; Third, Mike Everitt; Left, Larry Poncino; Right, Mike Reilly. T--3:44. A--39,567.