Chicago Cubs: A look at five random team heroes

Chicago Cubs: While he tied the game twice, Ryne Sandberg did not drive in the winning run.

Most Cubs fans have seen or have heard of the famous “Sandberg Game” that took place at Wrigley Field on June 23rd, 1984. In the back-and-forth battle between the hated Cardinals, Sandberg tied the game twice with home runs off Bruce Sutter in the ninth and tenth inning.

Yet a fun footnote about the game is who actually recorded the game-winning hit in extra innings. It was not Sandberg or any other big name like Leon Durham, Bobby Dernier, or Jody Davis, but a long-forgotten bench player by the name of Dave Owen.

Owen came up and batted for Lee Smith in the bottom of the 11th with the bases loaded. The career .194 hitter ripped a solid single into right field to give the Cubs a 12-11 victory. Owen played just 92 career MLB games with the Cubs and Royals, but he will always have that moment of winning the Sandberg Game.

The 1984 Cubs went on to reach the postseason for the first time since 1945, and that game helped them take off.