There was more on the line than getting another strikeout when Chicago Cubs pitcher Colin Rea faced Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras at the top of the fifth inning on Wednesday, Aug. 20.
More than 200 miles northwest of Wrigley Field in the small Iowa town of Cascade, patrons of The Corner Taproom were watching the Cubs-Brewers game to support the hometown kid, Rea.
With one out and runners on first and second, Rea’s first pitch to Contreras resulted in a strike. During the TV broadcast, Cubs color commentator Jim Deshaies mentioned how Contreras hits a ground ball to shortstop at least once a game.
Cubs play-by-play broadcaster Jon “Boog” Sciambi countered with a proposition: “How about this, if [Contreras] hits a ground ball to short to start the 6-4-3 … will you buy mozzarella sticks for everybody at The Corner Taproom?”
“Absolutely,” Deshaies decreed.
Sciambi agreed to cover half the cost, and suddenly, the stakes for Rea’s next pitches were raised, at least for those at The Corner Taproom.
On Rea’s fourth pitch, 2-1 count, Contreras grounded a ball to shortstop, which was fielded by Cubs’ Dansby Swanson, who tossed the ball to second base, where Nico Hoerner then threw it to first, beating Contreras for the 6-4-3 double play.
“Mozzarella sticks for everybody,” Deshaies exclaimed after correctly predicting the double play.
The Cubs won 4-3 as the veteran Rea allowed three hits during his pitching span on Wednesday. Later in the evening, The Corner Taproom posted a picture of dozens of people posing with mozzarella sticks or, as it’s listed on the menu, “cheese bread,” which are supplied by the connected restaurant, Happy Joe’s Pizza.
“Someone from the Cubs literally called me from the stands and said, ‘Looks like we owe you some mozzarella sticks,” said The Corner Taproom’s owner Zach Nothdorf. “I thought it was some prank initially.”
Nothdorf said he served between 50 and 60 people cheese bread on Wednesday night. While he didn’t disclose how much the Cubs provided financially for the cheese bread, he said it was “significant.”
“Every time [Rea] starts, we do free drinks every two strikeouts he throws,” he said. “Colin’s an awesome guy, and obviously, he’s from Cascade and still has friends and family here, so the whole community has kind of just rallied behind him.”
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
This story was updated to add a gallery.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa native, Cubs pitcher Colin Rea wins free appetizers for hometown bar with one play
Reporting by Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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