Saturday, January 4, 2014

JOBC Cubs Calendar--January 4

Today's Featured Cub: Lefty Tyler

On this day in 1918, the Cubs acquired a left handed starting pitcher named Lefty Tyler. He was in his 8th major league season when he came to the Cubs from the Boston Braves. (That's Lefty on the far left, along with fellow 1918 rotation members Hippo Vaughn, Phil Douglas and Claude Hendrix)

Lefty had one great season for the Cubs, going 19-8 in 1918, and pitched well in the World Series that year, but developed a strange shoulder injury the next year. He was sent to Minnesota by the Cubs to get examined at the Mayo Clinic. They said there was nothing wrong with his shoulder...his problems were caused by unusually bad teeth. They extracted almost all of his teeth to cure his shoulder injury, which amazingly, didn't do the trick.

Lefty was never the same after that. By the end of 1921, his big league career was over.

Today's Featured Baseball Card: Ted Lilly

(2009 Upper Deck Baseball Card)

Ted Lilly was a fan favorite during his time with the Cubs (2007-2010). His full name is Theodore Roosevelt Lilly, and yes he was named after the president. Although he didn't really walk softly and carry a big stick. He was simply a reliable pitcher, something all too rare on the North Side of Chicago.

On the back of this baseball card you'll see his 2008 stats: 17 wins, 9 losses, and a 4.09 ERA. His 34 starts that year led the league.


Other Cubs Birthdays

~Alex Metzler 1903 (Cubs 1925)
He was just a 22-year-old kid with the Cubs when he got some playing time at the end of the 1925 season, but he really blossomed after he left the team. In 1927 he was the best defensive centerfielder in the league for the Chicago White Sox.





A/V Club

Al Bridwell was also born on this day in 1884. He played very briefly for the Cubs in 1913, but he had a long career with the Giants before that, and was involved in the most controversial moment in Giants & Cubs history. Bridwell hit the ball that led to the famous Merkle boner. That story is told in this exclusive JOBC video...