Today’s Cubs Birthdays (March 13)

~Chippy Gaw 1892–1968 (Cubs 1920)
One of the greatest names in baseball history–Chippy Gaw–pitched only briefly for the Cubs. After logging nearly ten years in the minors, he got into six big league games in 1920, mainly as a reliever. In his last Major League appearance on July 4, 1920, he came in to relieve Cubs great Hippo Vaughn. He pitched a third of an inning and didn’t allow a run. He pitched a few more years in the minors before hanging up his spikes for good in 1922. After his playing career was over, Chippy went into coaching…hockey. He was the head hockey coach at both Princeton and Dartmouth, and later also coached Boston University’s baseball team. His real first name, by the way, was George.

~Mal Eason 1879–1970 (Orphans 1900-1902)
They called him “Kid” because he was only 21 when he came up to the Cubs (then known as the Orphans) in 1900. He pitched a complete game on the last game of the season that year, so the team thought they had a pitcher. Not so much. The following season he started 25 games and lost 17 of them. Eason was released early in the 1902 season. Kid eventually pitched for Boston, Detroit, and Brooklyn, but his lifetime record was more than 30 games under .500. He became an umpire, and umped in the big leagues until 1917.

~Eddie Butler 1991– (Cubs 2017-2018)
The Cubs acquired the former first round pick of the Rockies during the 2017 season and he filled the 5th starter role during the summer. Butler had good moments and bad and the Cubs eventually felt it was necessary to acquire another starting pitcher. For the season Butler was 4-3, with 3.95 ERA. In the 2018 season he made the club out of spring training, and pitched well until he was injured. The Cubs eventually included Butler in the package that brought Cole Hamels from the Rangers.