Fan fact: In the 140+ years of the franchise, no Cub has ever gone by the name of Patrick. That said, several have gone by Pat; I guess that extra syllable is just too formal.
So, in celebration of St. Pat's Day, I present to you all the Lovable Losers from my Cubs collection who (kinda) share their name with the primary patron saint of Ireland.
*Sorry, this was the best theme I could come up with for today!
"Mr. Clutch" had a nice run in Cleveland, but his biggest contribution to the Cubs franchise was being traded for Steve Trout and Warren Brusstar - two key pieces of the 1984 NL East champions.
What a lucky deal!
Mr. Perry was a middle reliever for another NL East champion Cubs team - the 93-69 Boys of Zimmer in 1989. Talk about a team that came out of nowhere: their 1988 record? 77-85. Their 1990 record? Also 77-85.
They must have gotten their hands on some Leprechaun gold!
Ugly pitching face isn't solely a recent card phenomena, as evidence by this Pat's Diamond Debut piece. The face he's making isn't the only thing ugly thing associated with Mahomes - his career stat line isn't particularly pretty. Though, somehow he managed to have an 11 year career out of the bullpen with a 5.87 ERA.
Hey - that card has some green on it. That's the only Irish connection I've got.
Pat Moran was a key bench piece for the Cubs last World Series champions in 1907 and 1908. Though it might look it, this card isn't that old - unfortunately, it is a reprint of it's 1910 Turkey Red cabinet counterpart.
Cabinet cards were quite large, large enough to decorate a cabinet, but Moran was not. At 5'10" and 180 pounds, he was about the size of a leprechaun!
Well after Ragan's Cub days were over, he was one of the Black Sox players who wasn't on the fix during the 1919 World Series. Was it because he already had a nice pt o'gold tucked away at the end of the rainbow?
More likely, it was because he only actually appeared in one game and that came during the regular season.
Pat Bourque's appearance on this 1973 Rookie First Baseman card might be insignificant at first glance, but there is more than meets the eye.
Bourque was one in a fairly long line of first basemen trotted out by the Cubs to replace Ernie Banks until Bill Buckner showed up. He never solidified a claim on the job and was traded away to the Athletics (green jerseys!) in August of that year.
You might notice that, coincidentally, an Athletic first baseman appears next to Pat on this card. Well, it just so happens that Gonzalo Marquez was the player that came back to Chicago in that transaction.
That bit of trivia is almost as glorious as those sideburns!
Let's wrap things up on a high note.
Malone is the most accomplished of the Pats, though it isn't a particularly high hurdle to clear. He twice led the NL in wins with the Cubs (1929-30) and was part of two pennant winners (1929, 1932).
However, come 1934, Mr. Wrigley must have decided they needed a little more Irish blood, so they traded him to the Cardinals for Ken O'Dea.
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So, in conclusion, this is the best way I could come with to celebrate St. Pat's day on Wrigley Roster Jenga. In my defense, I'm rushing so that I can go and get my hands on a Shamrock Shake so that I can be all festive and what not...
Well, really, it's just a justification for me to get some junk food. Shhhhhhhhh.
Here's some quality Irish-tinged rock'n'roll by way of the Southside Irish to close out today's post; play me out boys!
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