Cubs fan gets to start in Chicago

CHICAGO -- Like his ace, left-handed pitcher Ian Krol, Cougars manager Aaron Nieckula grew up near Chicago as a huge Cubs fan.

So with the Road to Wrigley game against the Peoria Chiefs fast approaching, Nieckula decided to do his star pitcher a solid.

"We altered our rotation a little bit to give him the opportunity to pitch at home here," Nieckula said. "He grew up a Cubs fan out in Naperville. It just so happened he's been our ace all year, so we tried to make that happen."

Krol says he was honored when Nieckula told him he'd be getting the ball in only the third Minor League game to be played at the Friendly Confines. It wasn't his first time on the mound -- he had played there in high school during a talent showcase game -- but this time around he was more anxious because of the stakes involved.

"I came down here early enough so I didn't have to rush myself and could soak it all in. It was just unbelievable," he said. "The field is actually the same size as (Kane County's) Elfstrom Stadium, but the stands make it seem bigger than it really is."

Early on, the game went according to Krol's master plan, much to the delight of his family and friends in attendance.

He retired the first seven hitters of the game before running into trouble. After Nelson Perez singled, Krol tried to pick him off. But his throw was far off target, sailing into the first couple rows of seats just behind the blue tarp.

"(I was) just rushing way too much," he said. "That's supposed to just be a pick-over to see if a guy's stealing or bunting and it was just a little too much."

In the fourth inning, Krol left an 0-2 fastball over the heart of the plate and Peoria center fielder Jae-Hoon Ha made him pay. Ha belted the pitch over the left-field fence, and Krol eventually took the loss after Lake County fell, 5-2.

"I have high expectations and you can't be leaving an 0-2 pitch over the middle. Every single pitcher knows that," Krol said. "The three-run bomb in the fourth inning kind of rattled me a little bit, but you learn from your mistakes."

Across the field, Peoria Chiefs infielder Elliot Soto spent most of the evening sitting on the bench counting his lucky stars.

Soto was taken in the 15th round of this year's Draft by the Cubs out of Creighton. He was among the first picks to sign with the club and, within weeks, was rewarded handsomely for doing so. Soto was just promoted to the Chiefs on July 1 after outfielder Francisco Guzman went on the disabled list with a hamstring injury.

"I was shocked, I didn't even know what to say," he said. "It was just a dream come true I guess."

Soto describes himself as a diehard Cub fan who grew up in Carpentersville, about an hour-and-a-half north of Wrigley Field. In fact, his mom was a season ticket holder up until this season.

"She didn't get them this year, they were a little bit too expensive," he said.

Once Soto got over the shock of finding out he'd be playing at Wrigley within a week of being called up, he said his next challenge was finding enough tickets for everyone who wanted them. Friends and family started coming out of the woodwork with ticket requests.

"They only gave me two," Soto said. "I didn't know who wanted to come, so I tried to buy some. My mom, my dad, my sister and her boyfriend are coming and some other family members."

Soto wasn't able to get into the game, but he was pleased to just get a taste of the Wrigley Field experience. Now that he's seen what his professional future could hold, he says he will be even more focused on his new full-time job.

"I just need to work hard, never give up, and always keep my head up," he said.