LV’s Tyler Houston comes into his own during baseball’s memorable season

Tim Graham

Thursday, Oct. 8, 1998 | 10:40 a.m.

The season ended for the Cubs on Saturday, yet Tyler Houston remains in Chicago.

After a whirlwind year in which he witnessed more magical moments than most players will in a lifetime, the Las Vegas native is not sure what to do.

"It's so strange," the Cubs catcher said. "It's been such a crazy year. It's hard to comprehend it's all over.

"You go through a detox period. All the adrenaline and stress is all drawn out of your body. Your body just shuts down."

The Cubs were swept by Houston's old team, the Atlanta Braves, in the first round of the National League playoffs. It was a wickedly sudden ending to a season that became more amazing as it went on.

He doesn't think it all will sink in by the time he returns home to Las Vegas with his wife and 5-month-old daughter.

Houston, 27, finally broke through and established himself as a major leaguer in 1998, although many predicted he would make the scene much earlier. He was drafted second overall out of Valley High and was awarded a then-record $241,500 signing bonus. But despite being a left-handed hitting backstop, he stagnated in the Braves' system.

But in his second season after being traded to Chicago he found himself not only a part of the bigs, but also a part of several monumental occasions.

Witness to history

Houston was at Busch Stadium when St. Louis' Mark McGwire belted home runs No. 61 and 62, and he watched Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa chase Big Mac in an epic race. He caught rookie sensation Kerry Wood, who struck out a record 20 batters. He helped satisfy the postseason-deprived Cubs fans, as the team won a one-game playoff over San Francisco to gain the NL wild card berth.

"It just goes on and on," he said. "The season will never be matched in many ways."

But when Houston reflects on 1998, the first thought is that he finally made it. Strangely, he realized it while on the disabled list from May 26-June 24 with a badly pulled right hamstring.

"When I was on the DL, (Cubs catcher) Scott Servais was really struggling," Houston said, "and our general manager, Ed Lynch, was saying publicly how they needed me back and they were going to put me in the lineup every day.

"It felt good to know they had that confidence in me even though I hadn't played in a month."

Houston hit .255 with nine homers and 33 RBIs in 95 games. During a seven-game hitting streak he batted .571 (12-for-21). He performed particularly well off the bench, going 6-for-20 with his first two pinch-hit homers. He also threw out 11 of the 55 runners who attempted to steal against him.

But Houston's value to the Cubs this year can be summed up in one stat: In the 58 games he started behind the plate, they went 40-18.

"Our pitchers are very aware of how we fare when I'm behind the plate," Houston said.

But the Cubs are searching for help at catcher next year.

Getting focused

The Chicago Sun-Times predicts if the Cubs retain a catcher it will be Servais, suggesting Houston "is a backup catcher with focus problems."

But Houston, who this year had two homers in one game and two hits in one inning, isn't concerned by the criticism. He figures he is the Cubs' starting catcher next year unless the team lands a big-name replacement.

"I'm going to be the catcher here next year or (free agent) Mike Piazza is or (New York Met trade bait) Todd Hundley is," he said. "It's not going to be the average catcher out there next year. I established myself real well here this year."

But Houston wasn't always so sure of his future.

Rodger Fairless, who coached him at Valley, has tracked Houston's entire big-league career. It was easy because Houston has played for teams that are nationally televised virtually every day.

"He looked a lot more confident to me this year," said Fairless, who now coaches at Green Valley. "It looked to me like he was a ballplayer because, when he was given the opportunity to play, he was playing hard. Just knowing Tyler the way I do, I thought his presence in the game was an asset.

"Tyler can do anything he wants once he gets the opportunity. Hopefully, this will be a springboard for him. If Tyler was an everyday player, I really think he has a chance to be an impact guy."

Houston experienced the definition of impact by playing for a successful Cubs team.

Caray on

The season began emotionally when legendary broadcaster Harry Caray died during spring training.

"Opening day this year they did all the stuff for Harry," Houston said. "The fans just started chanting 'Har-ry! Har-ry!' It almost brought tears to your eyes."

With Caray's ghost and that of their second Hall of Fame broadcaster Jack Brickhouse (who died in mid-season) cheering them on, the Cubs played with flair. Even the way they qualified for the postseason was magical.

After 162 games, they were tied with the Giants. An extra game was needed. It was do or die.

"That was the most intense game I've ever been a part of," Houston said. "The three playoff games, even the one that knocked us out, didn't reach that magnitude.

"I'm never really nervous for a game, and I was nervous the whole day. Every pitch the crowd's going crazy. It was like the seventh game of the World Series. The Cubs fans were out in full force.

"When we actually won, it was like we won the World Series. When it was all over we had to sit back and say 'Wait a minute. We didn't win anything. We're just going to the playoffs.'"

Playing for Cubs fans is something Houston claims he could never tire of.

His kind of town

"This city will never be the same if we ever win the World Series, and this year we were only a few games away," he said.

Playing at Wrigley Field gave Houston a new perspective on baseball fans, especially the ones he played in front of in Atlanta. He said Cubs followers are far more appreciative of their team.

"I thank God I'm not still with the Braves. I'm happy as can be with the Cubs. It's the best place you could go to work every day. It's 100 years of tradition," he said.

Houston witnessed history all season, but it usually was from the dugout. With left-handers throwing for St. Louis on the days McGwire broke Roger Maris' home run record, Houston sat riveted on the bench.

"To see something like that was incredible," Houston said. "As soon as the pitcher would release the ball, you almost couldn't see it because of all the camera flashes. You got chills just watching it.

"We were talking about it before it even got to St. Louis that we would love to be on the field for (home run No. 62)."

But he was on the field with Sosa throughout the year. Sosa finished with 66 homers, four shy of McGwire's total.

Slammin' Sammy

"When Sammy hit his 62nd home run it wasn't quite as dramatic (as McGwire) because it had already been done, but as he kept going it got more and more chaotic," Houston said.

"You're watching this and you just can't believe it. Every time he hit one we would stand up in the dugout and say 'My God! He hit another one!'"

Houston already regrets not accumulating any memorabilia from the great home run chase. Balls used in the record-breaking games -- even the ones Sosa and McGwire didn't touch -- are coveted by collectors and players alike.

But he does prize a ball Sosa autographed with the inscription "98-66" on it, commemorating his landmark year.

Houston also missed out on another record-breaking game. Third-string catcher Sandy Martinez was behind the plate for Wood's gem.

"That was an incredible day," Houston said.

"I don't think it would have mattered who was catching. Our bullpen coach could have been catching that day. No one was going to be hitting that guy. He averaged, like, 97 mph through the whole game and had both his breaking balls working.

"It started getting ridiculous, like he was toying with 'em."

Roster addition

But the season served up an even bigger milestone for the Las Vegan -- the birth of his daughter in May. Houston missed two games in Arizona to be with his wife, Gabi (who also graduated from Valley) for the delivery.

"It makes going 0-for-4 a lot easier, coming home to see your baby," Houston said.

"Everything anybody says about being a dad is underrated. She's made the season a lot of fun for me. She makes it really hard to go on road trips and really fun to come home."