Sept. 03--In addition to seeing who can absorb a hard grounder headed toward the bullpen, the Chicago Cubs' relievers are playing another game -- courtesy of bullpen catcher Chad Noble.
Noble, who is the undisputed "winner" among the members of the Cubs bullpen who can withstand the pain of absorbing a hard grounder, will have to "pay up" as the result of Hector Rondon throwing a fastball clocked at 100 mph Tuesday night during the ninth inning of the Cubs' 5-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
Rondon pointed directly in the direction of the Cubs bullpen after his pitch was clocked at 100 mph. The bet was disclosed by setup man Pedro Strop, but Strop wasn't exactly forthcoming with the consequences of the wager.
"We were so happy," Strop said Wednesday. "We got a little game going with Chad Noble. Whenever (Rondon) throws 100, there's something (Noble) has to do. I'm not going to say what he has to do. That's why (Rondon) was staring at the pen. It was pretty fun to watch."
Noble wasn't available to comment, but reliever Justin Grimm smiled but replied with a firm "nope" when asked if he could reveal what Noble had to do.
Rondon said someone told him a few years ago that his fastball was clocked at 100 mph during the Venezuelan Winter League, but he said this marked the first time he hit triple digits in a major-league game.
