Daryle Ward

Daryle Ward spent 11 seasons in the big leagues, including his last two with the Cubs in 2008-09. Mostly used as a pinch hitter, Ward also played some first base and platooned in the outfield.

One of my fondest memories of Ward as a Cub was in a game against the Florida Marlins on August 15, 2008. I was out with friends and we happened to catch the end of the game. The Cubs were down 5-3 in the top of the 9th and Ward came off the bench to take then Marlins closer (and current Cubs closer) Kevin Gregg deep for a three run shot and give the Cubs the lead. Kerry Wood closed out the game with a dramatic 9th himself. I remember a walk and a hit by pitch but according to the boxscore, there was a wild pitch in there too. I've seen dozens if not hundreds of Cubs games since then, but it's funny what you remember.

Man, 2008 was another one of those "This is the year!" years. Hard to believe it was already 5 years ago.

Despite not playing in the Majors, Daryle Ward is still plugging away, trying to catch on with a team. He's been playing the independent Atlantic League for the past couple of years with some short stints with affiliated teams mixed in. This past year, Ward played for the Lancaster Jethawks, which is where the above card was obtained with a little help from an SCN member. He's got a pretty nice autograph. I dig the sig!

This marks the 73rd signed ATCRCS in the collection.