Lilly vs. Cardinals' Molina; Lilly vs. his glove. (File photos)By Paul Sullivan
DENVER -- When Ted Lilly was thrown out trying to steal second base while rehabbing from shoulder surgery at Class-A Peoria last April, some criticized the veteran left-hander for risking injury in a minor league game that meant nothing for his career.
"A-ball or Double-A or sandlot, Nintendo or whatever it is, I was trying to win," Lilly responded. "I'm not going out there trying not to get hurt. That's not how I play."
Lilly played the game the right way in his four seasons with the Cubs, but that era ended on Saturday afternoon when he was dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers with Ryan Theriot and $2.5 million for infielder Blake DeWitt and two prospects.
Photo gallery: Ted Lilly in action
Lilly's career in Chicago had many more highs than lows, but if there was one moment that will forever be remembered, it occurred in Game 2 of the 2007 playoffs.
The Cubs had lost Game 1 to the D'Backs, but Lilly entered the game with a 9-1 record following a loss. Staked to a 2-0 lead over Arizona, Lilly served up a three-run home run to Chris Young, then violently slammed his glove to the ground.
"I've never seen a pitcher throw the glove like that on the mound," manager Lou Piniella said afterwards.
Lilly was reminded of the incident over the winter when he was at an instructional camp for kids.
"The first question of the day was one of the kids who wanted to make sure I knew he saw me throw my glove down," he said on the first day of camp in 2008.
And what did he tell the kid?
"I told him I lost my temper," he replied.
That playoff loss haunted Lilly, who said that spring: "In one sense I'm over it, but I haven't forgotten about it, and I don't know if (I will). The best way to forget about it and put it behind you is to win in the postseason. That's the only cure, I guess."
The Cubs got back to the postseason in 2008, thanks in large part to the contributions of Lilly.
In a critical game in St. Louis in September, with the Cubs slumping, an angry Piniella challenged his players to go out and "kick some (butt)," Lilly promptly rammed into catcher Yadier Molina while being thrown out at the plate in the second inning of a 4-3 win over the Cardinals.
Molina was thrown on his back and doubled over in pain after the collision, which involved Lilly's knee unintentionally greeting Molina's groin, forcing him out of the game three innings later with what was described as a "left thigh bruise." In Lilly's next at-bat, starter Braden Looper threw a high and tight pitch at him, knocking him back.
"They might have felt (the collision) was unnecessary," Lilly said. "I felt like he was right in front of the plate and there was really nowhere else to go."
Lilly went on to set career highs with 17 wins in '08, the most by a Cubs lefty since Ken Holtzman's 17 wins in 1970. His 184 strikeouts were also a career-high. Though Lilly went 10-4 on the road and was 2-0 in his career against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he was slated by Piniella to start the fourth game of the Division Series against L.A., behind Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden.
The Cubs, of course, never got to a Game 4. They were swept in three games, and Lilly was visibly upset afterwards in the losing clubhouse.
"Brutal," was his one-word assessment of the outcome.
The following season, in 2009, Lilly earned his second trip to the All-Star Game with a stellar first-half. He was the Cubs' lone representative.
"This one is special, because it's with the Cubs," he said. "That always makes it special in and of itself, to get a chance to represent this club. It's definitely different, and now I've been on both sides, American and National Leagues, so it's pretty cool."
Lilly didn't pitch in the All-Star Game, and after the break was moved back in the rotation a couple days because of left knee inflammation.
Asked why he didn't simply go on the disabled list to rest the knee for the stretch drive, Lilly replied: "I'm going to pitch, even if you tell me not to." He was then rocked by Philadelphia, allowing nine runs on eight hits in four innings.
Lilly went on the disabled list shortly afterwards with left shoulder inflammation, and also had arthroscopic surgery performed on the left knee. But he finished strong, going 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in his five September starts, ending the season with a career-low 3.10 ERA.
Piniella shuffled his rotation at the end of the season, giving Lilly only one start after Sept. 18. But the Cubs maintained nothing was wrong with him, and Lilly told the Tribune in the final week he wouldn't have the shoulder checked out in the offseason: "No, I don't think it's to that point. If I thought it was posing that kind of discomfort and pain I would do that."
But the Cubs announced in early November that Lilly had undergone shoulder surgery and would be out for the start of 2010. They endured some criticism for not shutting Lilly down earlier in September when the Cubs fell out of the race. But Lilly defended the decision.
"I didn't want to go into the season doing what I was doing at the end of the year, where I was missing starts," he said. "I had thoughts of going into the season and battling shoulder problems all year. If I had known I would've been in this situation a month earlier and it wouldn't have gotten better, I would've preferred to have done it a month ago."
After insisting at the outset of 2010 spring training he would be ready to go by Opening Day, Lilly was sent to a rehab assignment in April when the Cubs headed to Atlanta. That's where he made his infamous slide at Peoria. The Cubs were not amused.
"Trying to steal second," Lilly said matter-of-factly.
It was a rehab start, so why try and steal second?
"Because they teach you when you're going into a base and there's a play at the base, they teach you to slide, instead of standing up," he sarcastically replied. "I was trying to get a run for the team, so the team can score more runs, and our team could score more runs than the other team. Because if we do that, then we'll win."
Lilly wound up with only three victories with the Cubs in 2010, despite pitching well for the most part. He had the lowest run support in the majors, and gave up late leads in a few starts. Lilly's final start in Houston this week provided a perfect ending for Lilly. He allowed no runs, but left the game in a scoreless tie, and the Cubs lost.
Everyone knew it was the end for Lilly, who is a free agent in November and likely to command a lucrative, three or four-year deal. He made his mark with the Cubs, winning 47 games over 3 ½ seasons and earning his $40 million contract.
Lilly never got a chance to make amends for the playoff loss to Arizona in '07. Maybe this is the year.
The Cubs had lost Game 1 to the D'Backs, but Lilly entered the game with a 9-1 record following a loss. Staked to a 2-0 lead over Arizona, Lilly served up a three-run home run to Chris Young, then violently slammed his glove to the ground.
"I've never seen a pitcher throw the glove like that on the mound," manager Lou Piniella said afterwards.
Lilly was reminded of the incident over the winter when he was at an instructional camp for kids.
"The first question of the day was one of the kids who wanted to make sure I knew he saw me throw my glove down," he said on the first day of camp in 2008.
And what did he tell the kid?
"I told him I lost my temper," he replied.
That playoff loss haunted Lilly, who said that spring: "In one sense I'm over it, but I haven't forgotten about it, and I don't know if (I will). The best way to forget about it and put it behind you is to win in the postseason. That's the only cure, I guess."
The Cubs got back to the postseason in 2008, thanks in large part to the contributions of Lilly.
In a critical game in St. Louis in September, with the Cubs slumping, an angry Piniella challenged his players to go out and "kick some (butt)," Lilly promptly rammed into catcher Yadier Molina while being thrown out at the plate in the second inning of a 4-3 win over the Cardinals.
Molina was thrown on his back and doubled over in pain after the collision, which involved Lilly's knee unintentionally greeting Molina's groin, forcing him out of the game three innings later with what was described as a "left thigh bruise." In Lilly's next at-bat, starter Braden Looper threw a high and tight pitch at him, knocking him back.
"They might have felt (the collision) was unnecessary," Lilly said. "I felt like he was right in front of the plate and there was really nowhere else to go."
Lilly went on to set career highs with 17 wins in '08, the most by a Cubs lefty since Ken Holtzman's 17 wins in 1970. His 184 strikeouts were also a career-high. Though Lilly went 10-4 on the road and was 2-0 in his career against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he was slated by Piniella to start the fourth game of the Division Series against L.A., behind Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano and Rich Harden.
The Cubs, of course, never got to a Game 4. They were swept in three games, and Lilly was visibly upset afterwards in the losing clubhouse.
"Brutal," was his one-word assessment of the outcome.
The following season, in 2009, Lilly earned his second trip to the All-Star Game with a stellar first-half. He was the Cubs' lone representative.
"This one is special, because it's with the Cubs," he said. "That always makes it special in and of itself, to get a chance to represent this club. It's definitely different, and now I've been on both sides, American and National Leagues, so it's pretty cool."
Lilly didn't pitch in the All-Star Game, and after the break was moved back in the rotation a couple days because of left knee inflammation.
Asked why he didn't simply go on the disabled list to rest the knee for the stretch drive, Lilly replied: "I'm going to pitch, even if you tell me not to." He was then rocked by Philadelphia, allowing nine runs on eight hits in four innings.
Lilly went on the disabled list shortly afterwards with left shoulder inflammation, and also had arthroscopic surgery performed on the left knee. But he finished strong, going 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in his five September starts, ending the season with a career-low 3.10 ERA.
Piniella shuffled his rotation at the end of the season, giving Lilly only one start after Sept. 18. But the Cubs maintained nothing was wrong with him, and Lilly told the Tribune in the final week he wouldn't have the shoulder checked out in the offseason: "No, I don't think it's to that point. If I thought it was posing that kind of discomfort and pain I would do that."
But the Cubs announced in early November that Lilly had undergone shoulder surgery and would be out for the start of 2010. They endured some criticism for not shutting Lilly down earlier in September when the Cubs fell out of the race. But Lilly defended the decision.
"I didn't want to go into the season doing what I was doing at the end of the year, where I was missing starts," he said. "I had thoughts of going into the season and battling shoulder problems all year. If I had known I would've been in this situation a month earlier and it wouldn't have gotten better, I would've preferred to have done it a month ago."
After insisting at the outset of 2010 spring training he would be ready to go by Opening Day, Lilly was sent to a rehab assignment in April when the Cubs headed to Atlanta. That's where he made his infamous slide at Peoria. The Cubs were not amused.
"Trying to steal second," Lilly said matter-of-factly.
It was a rehab start, so why try and steal second?
"Because they teach you when you're going into a base and there's a play at the base, they teach you to slide, instead of standing up," he sarcastically replied. "I was trying to get a run for the team, so the team can score more runs, and our team could score more runs than the other team. Because if we do that, then we'll win."
Lilly wound up with only three victories with the Cubs in 2010, despite pitching well for the most part. He had the lowest run support in the majors, and gave up late leads in a few starts. Lilly's final start in Houston this week provided a perfect ending for Lilly. He allowed no runs, but left the game in a scoreless tie, and the Cubs lost.
Everyone knew it was the end for Lilly, who is a free agent in November and likely to command a lucrative, three or four-year deal. He made his mark with the Cubs, winning 47 games over 3 ½ seasons and earning his $40 million contract.
Lilly never got a chance to make amends for the playoff loss to Arizona in '07. Maybe this is the year.
Maybe he was comparing Theriot to Maddux?! 8^)
Whoa! I liked Ted Lilly as much as the next guy and appreciate the way he plays the game but did someone really just compare him to Greg Maddux? The only similarities are that Lilly and Maddux both were traded to the Dodgers by the Cubs, that is where the comparison should end.
Sad to see Ted go but he deserves to be on a winner. Lilly has the bulldog mentality you need on a good team. The CUBS should strongly consider him in the future as a coach if he chooses that route once retired.
Lilly is baseball class personified. Who know where the Cub s would be if they had 25 "Lillies". Certainly not the woeful slop they are currently. You hear that, Carlos?
Why do I feel like we just traded Greg Maddox away again.
Ted Lilly was a winner. Theriot was a me first player who can sit the pine in LA. I just wish we couldve talked them into taking Zambrano, who decided he didnt like to pitch anymore after he got " paid". Freakin bum.
I'm a lifelong Cubs fan and I love Ted Lilly for throwing his glove down when that guy hit that homer in the playoff game. That's exactly what I was feeling and I love him for caring, giving his all and wearing his emotions on his sleeve in an important Cub game when we'd give our right arm to win a World Series - Lilly showed he wanted it bad too - I love him for that. Also, for knocking down the Molina in the Cards game at the plate. That sparked the Cubs and helped win the division that year. Give me 25 Ted Lilly's anytime for my team. Thanks, Ted Lilly, I wish you luck and you'll forever be a favorite Cub player of mine.