Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Montero, right, celebrates after hitting a grand slam during the eighth inning of Game 1 of the National League baseball championship series against the Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
CHICAGO (AP) — Miguel Montero snapped an eighth-inning tie with the third pinch-hit grand slam in postseason history, and the Chicago Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-4 in their NL Championship Series opener Saturday night.
Pinch-hitter Chris Coghlan was intentionally walked by Joe Blanton with two outs in the eighth, loading the bases and bringing up closer Aroldis Chapman’s spot in the batting order.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon sent up Montero, who drove an 0-2 slider into the right-field bleachers for his first hit of the playoffs. The crowd of 42,376 at Wrigley Field roared as Montero rounded the bases and kept cheering until the veteran catcher popped out of the dugout for a curtain call.
Dexter Fowler homered on the next pitch as the Cubs rebounded quickly from a shaky performance by their bullpen. Adrian Gonzalez hit a tying, two-run single off Chapman in the top half of the inning for Los Angeles.
