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Mike Cubbage
Third baseman / Manager
Born: (1950-07-21) July 21, 1950 (age 73)
Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.
Batted: Left
Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 7, 1974, for the Texas Rangers
Last MLB appearance
October 3, 1981, for the New York Mets
MLB statistics
Batting average.258
Home Runs34
Runs batted in251
Teams
As player

As manager

As coach

Michael Lee Cubbage (born July 21, 1950) is an American former third baseman, coach and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m), 180 pounds (82 kg), he batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

Early life

Born in Charlottesville, Virginia, Cubbage was the son of Lindy and Marge Cubbage and came from a baseball family, as his cousins Larry Haney and Chris Haney played in the major leagues. Cubbage attended University of Virginia, where he played for the Virginia Cavaliers baseball and football teams. [1]

Playing career

Cubbage originally was selected by the expansion Washington Senators in the fifth round of the 1968 MLB draft, but did not sign. He then was drafted again by Washington in the second round of the 1971 entry draft, and spent parts of four seasons in the minor leagues before joining the Texas Rangers on April 7, 1974, in a game against the Oakland Athletics. [2] While appearing in nine games with the Rangers in 1974, he did not collect his first major league hit until being called up in 1975, in a game on June 20 against the California Angels, when he went 3-for-5 with four RBIs. [3]

Cubbage was traded to the Minnesota Twins in 1976. On July 27, 1978, he hit for the cycle against the Toronto Blue Jays. [4] In the bottom of the 2nd inning, Cubbage hit a 1-0 pitch to right field, and was thrown out at third trying to leg out a triple; he was therefore credited for a double on the play. He subsequently hit a home run (4th inning), single (5th inning), and triple (7th inning) to complete the cycle.

Cubbage later signed as a free agent with the New York Mets for the 1981 season. Throughout his playing career, he was considered somewhat of a utility player, playing mostly third base, but with stints at the first and second bases and designated hitter positions. Although he spent most of his playing time at shortstop in high school, Cubbage did not receive any playing time at this position in the major leagues.

In his MLB career of eight seasons, Cubbage appeared in 703 games, batting .258 with 34 home runs and 251 RBIs.

Coaching and managerial career

Cubbage managed in the minor leagues for 7 seasons. Beginning in 1983, Cubbage led the Little Falls Mets, moving up to the Lynchburg Mets for the next two seasons. He then managed the Mets' AA Texas League affiliate Jackson Mets for the 1986 season, taking them to their league playoff finals. Cubbage was then promoted back to his home state to manage the AAA level Tidewater Tides for their 1987 - 1989 International League seasons.

Cubbage then served as Mets' third base coach in the early 1990s, and was named interim manager in September 1991. [5] He managed the Mets in seven games, finishing with a career managerial record of three wins and four losses (.429).

During spring training in 2002, Cubbage served as the interim manager of the Boston Red Sox after previous manager Joe Kerrigan was fired. Cubbage remained on the staff as third base coach after the Red Sox hired Grady Little as Kerrigan's full-time replacement. [6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Mike Cubbage College Stats". sports-reference.com. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  2. ^ "Oakland Athletics 8, Texas Rangers 4". Retrosheet. April 7, 1974.
  3. ^ "California Angels 12, Texas Rangers 11". Retrosheet. June 20, 1975.
  4. ^ "Minnesota Twins 6, Toronto Blue Jays 3". Retrosheet. July 27, 1978.
  5. ^ SEXTON, JOE (1991-10-01). "BASEBALL; The Mets' Manager for 1992? Try Cubbage, Says Cubbage". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
  6. ^ "Red Sox pick Little to be new manager". Chicago Sun-Times. 2002-03-12. Retrieved 2007-06-17.[ dead link]

External links

Succession boxes
Achievements
Preceded by Hitting for the cycle
July 27, 1978
Succeeded by
Sporting positions
Preceded by Little Falls Mets Manager
1983
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lynchburg Mets Manager
1984–1985
Succeeded by
Preceded by Jackson Mets Manager
1986
Succeeded by
Preceded by Tidwater Tide Manager
1987–1989
Succeeded by
Preceded by New York Mets First Base Coach
1990
Succeeded by
Preceded by New York Mets Third Base Coach
1991
Succeeded by
Preceded by New York Mets Hitting Coach
1991
Succeeded by
Preceded by
New York Mets Third Base Coach
1992–1996
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Houston Astros Third Base Coach
1997–2000
Succeeded by
Preceded by Houston Astros Third Base Coach
2001
Succeeded by
Preceded by Boston Red Sox Third Base Coach
2002–2003
Succeeded by