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Sept. 22, 2001
Last season, there were rumors that Andrew Zarzour and Kerry Wood might be involved in a blockbuster trade that brought Wood to the Dodgers and guys like Zarzour and Mike Piazza to the Cubs. The deal never happened, and Zarzour and Wood were the starting pitchers opposite of each other in a key Sept. 22 clash that would help determine LA's playoff fate.
Zarzour was as focused as he'd ever been for a game. He wanted to win, not just for himself and his team, but as a tribute to a family friend who had been killed on Sept. 11 — "Big Ed" Scalfani, one of the many firefighters to lose his life while rushing back into the World Trade Center to save others.
Just before the game, Andrew wrote "Big Ed" with a Sharpie underneath the bill of his cap. He might have been too focused because in the first inning, he gave up a lead-off single to Terrell Lowery, threw a wild pitch and tossed another off-target pitch that catcher Mike Piazza couldn't handle. Fortunately, the Cubs didn't score during the frame, with Zarzour ending the inning with a flame-throwing 98 mph strikeout of Junior Spivey.
For the most part, Zarzour locked in after that. The Dodgers trailed 1-0 when he left after six innings. Zarzour's line — seven strikeouts, five hits allowed, two walks and no earned runs. Unfortunately, while LA tied the game in the top of the ninth after an Andy Tracy RBI single, closer Trevor Hoffman allowed the victory to slip away. The Cubs won 2-1.
Zarzour was sick. He brooded at his locker for awhile, shooing reporters away. "Sorry teammates, and sorry Big Ed," he said to himself. "I did my best..."
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