The Cubs signed Jason Marquis as a free agent following the 2006 season. He was coming off a season where he led the National League is Losses (16) and Home Runs Allowed (35). He also led the Majors in Earned Runs Allowed (130). Oddly enough, he did that for the World Series Champion (gag) Cardinals.
League leader and World Series champ? Sounded good enough on paper for the Cubs brass!
Luckily for the Cubs, Marquis would right his ship (at least a little) and go 23-18 during his two seasons in Chicago as well as lowering his ERA about a run and a half from his 2006 numbers.
He didn't make an appearance during the 2007 NLDS that the Cubs were swept out of by the Diamondbacks. And he made a one inning relief appearance in the 2008 NLDS in a game that was already out of hand in another three game sweep, this time by the Dodgers.
Marquis did hit three home runs during his time with the Cubs, including a grand slam on September 22, 2008 against the Mets. He had 14 RBIs with the Cubs in 143 plate appearances. I don't have any statistics to back it up but it seems fairly decent for a pitcher to have an RBI in every tenth plate appearance or so. It obviously depends on the game but I would think a lot of situations would call for a pinch hitter. Maybe I just have low expectations of pitchers hitting.
Marquis spent 2013 with the San Diego Padres and this card was signed with a little help from an SCN member when the Friars came through their home stadium.
This brings me up to 96 ATCRCS cards shown off here on the blog.
Only two Jewish pitchers have more career wins, Kenny Holtzman and Sandy Koufax.
ReplyDeleteI thought Steve Stone would be up there. I was right, he's now 4th. But I can't believe he only had 107 career wins. I mean, he had 25 in one season! And Koufax *only* had 165? Man, I need to brush up on some history.
DeleteStoney famously blew out his arm knowing that one great season was worth a bunch of middling ones. I'll bet a lot of people don't realize that Holtzman is at the top. BTW I've always heard that Kenny got married at a synagogue in the neighborhood I grew up in.
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