Pinch-hit homer sinks Cubs in ninth inning Samardzija called up

With the Cubs at the top of the NL Central, the Wrigley Field faithful have been some of the loudest fans in baseball. Jeremy Hermida managed to quiet them with one swing of the bat. Hermida hit a pinch-hit home run to lead off the ninth inning, helping the Florida Marlins to a 3-2 win over the Cubs on Friday. Hermida came in for catcher Paul Hoover, who had struck out his first three times up, and launched a Bobby Howry pitch over the right field wall to put Florida ahead. The announced crowd of 41,570 at the friendly confines was silenced, as Chicago dropped to 38-13 at home. "To quiet those fans takes a lot," Hermida said. "It's a fun place to play all around. Real passionate fans and they back their players better than any fans around. It was fun to go out there and do something like that and quiet them down." Hermida,... [read full story]