Chicago Cubs: The Heroes of Wrigley Series presents Mark Prior

The phenom with calves of Popeye has a Cy Young worthy campaign in his first full season with the Cubs, leading them within five outs of destiny.

The 2003 Chicago Cubs were shaping up to be a far cry from the previous year following an aggressive offseason.  Gone were the likes of former 20-game winner Jon Lieber, the half-heartedly Todd Hundley, and the 39-year-old McGriff.  New faces such as lefty reliever Mike Remlinger, second baseman Mark Grudzielanek, veteran first baseman Eric Karros, left-handed starting pitcher Shawn Estes, and former World Series-winning catcher Damian Miller joined the fold.

The organization also made a managerial change as the Cubs fired Don Baylor and hired his replacement, Dusty Baker.  Baker was fresh off a World Series appearance as manager of the San Francisco Giants, and the Cub fans instantly got behind their new skipper, often using the slogan, “In Dusty We Trusty.”

Baker was now in charge of a strong pitching staff, perhaps the strongest he ever had in his career.  While at the reigns, he never shied away from high pitch counts, often letting his starters pitch deep into ballgames.

Mark Prior was no exception, averaging nearly 120 pitches per game.  Baker often was criticized on his handling of Prior as well as teammate, Texas-born gunslinger Kerry Wood.

Despite the criticism, Prior and Wood endured through stellar seasons, both being named to the National League All-Star team.  Sports Illustrated dubbed the tandem “Chicago Heat,” as they quickly became two of the most feared pitchers in the baseball.

After Prior’s strong first half, the 22-year old briefly landed on the disabled list after a collision with Braves second baseman Marcus Giles.  Prior was activated on August 5 and, amid a playoff hunt, went 10-1 down the stretch.

With the Cubs up two games in the division with three games remaining, Prior took the mound in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates.  After tossing 6.2 innings and 10 strikeouts in a 4-2 victory in Game 1, Prior set up Matt Clement to clinch the division in Game 2.  The Cubs ultimately won the second game 7-2, officially wrapping up the National League Central division title.

In 30 starts, Prior finished the regular season with an 18-6 record and 2.43 ERA through 211.1 innings.  He also finished with 245 strikeouts (10.4 K/9), second in the Major Leagues behind only Wood (266).

Behind Prior and Wood, the Cubs were a legitimate threat for the National Pennant as they headed into October baseball.

A stellar sophomore season (and legacy) is quickly overshadowed in an instant by one fateful, unfortunate occurrence.

After Kerry Wood’s heroic performance in Game 1 of the NLDS that saw him strike out 11 Atlanta Braves in 7.1 innings (adding a 2-RBI double), the Cubs fell short against John Smoltz in Game 2.

A must-see pitching matchup was slated for Game 3 at Wrigley Field, as Prior took on former (and future) Cub, Greg Maddux.  Prior made his first career playoff start a memorable one, outdueling the future Hall-of-Famer, earning a complete game victory, striking out seven, allowing only one run on two hits.

Another solid start for Wood in Game 5 provided the dagger in the perennial playoff staple Braves’ playoff hopes, and the team flew back to Chicago to take on the Florida Marlins.

Prior, again, dazzled in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series, tossing seven innings of 3-run baseball, evening the series at one game apiece.

His next start came in Game 6 at Wrigley.  The Cubs were ahead in the series 3-2.  After seven scoreless innings, Prior was cruising and showing no sign of slowing down in this decisive game.  After getting Florida utilityman Mike Mordecai to fly out to Moises Alou in left field, the Cubs leading 3-0, only five-outs from going to their first World Series since 1945.

From there, we all know what happened.  It’s still too painful to relive.  After the unfortunate Bartman situation and Alou’s tirade, Prior was lifted as Baker opted to go to the bullpen.  Kyle Farnsworth entered the game, great defensive shortstop Alex Gonzalez biffed an inning-ending double play, everything came unraveled.

By the time the Cubs finally got out of the inning, they were now trailing Florida, 8-3.  The Cubs would never recover, losing that game and Game 7 and their magical ’03 ended.

Despite the heartbreaking end of the 2003 season, the Cubs were favorites to contend for the National League crown in 2004.

With the additions of a returning Maddux, the Cubs were viewed as having the best starting rotation in all of baseball.  With Prior, Wood, Maddux and Carlos Zambrano and Clement anchoring, along with the offensive additions of Todd Walker and Derrek Lee, the Cubs seemed destined to make up for their NLCS faux pas the previous year.

However, Prior’s health came into question heading into the season.  Many speculated Tommy John surgery was needed but Prior and the Cubs were mum on the situation, adamantly stating he was suffering from an Achilles tendon injury.

Prior return after missing the first two months of the season.  Upon being activated, it was quite apparent that Prior was dealing with some arm issues as he struggled, not pitching like the dominant level he was pitching at the previous season.

He finished the 2004 season with a 6-4 record, starting 21 games compiling a 4.02 ERA.

While the Cubs improved one game in the win column from the ’03 season, they failed to make the playoffs.

More injuries became a broken record for Prior in 2005, once again starting the season on the disabled list.  After returning, he was the victim of a Brad Hawpe line drive that left his bat at 117-mph, crashing into Prior and leaving him with a compression fracture.  In 27 starts and 166.2 innings, he went 11-7 with a 3.67 ERA and 188 strikeouts.

Prior’s name was mentioned in trade rumors during the 2005 offseason after shortstop Nomar Garciaparra left for free agency.  Miguel Tejada of the Baltimore Orioles was thrown into the mix. However, nothing ever came to fruition.

He would yet again suffer an injury in spring training, this time with a strained shoulder.  For the third consecutive year, Prior would begin the regular season on the disabled list.  He wouldn’t make his 2006 debut until June 18 and was shellacked by the Detroit Tigers.

In four starts, he went 0-4 with a 7.71 ERA before being placed on the disabled list again for a left oblique muscle strain.  He briefly from July 21 to Aug 14 before heading back, finishing his season with a 7.22 ERA with a 1-6 record in just nine games and 43.2 innings.  It also marked the first time in his short career that he didn’t have a K/9 of at least 10 (7.8).

After missing the entire 2007 season after opting for exploratory surgery on his right shoulder, the Cubs non-tendered Prior in December and his tenure with the team came to an end.

After several attempts at comebacks, Prior has no regrets and holds his head up high, proud of his short-lived career.

Just a two weeks after the Cubs decided to non-tender Prior, the San Diego Padres signed him to a one-year deal which included $1M with incentivized bonuses.

Unfortunately for Prior, his comeback was halted while rehabbing, suffering a tearing in his throwing shoulder and San Diego released him in August.

Prior attempted several comebacks from 2010-13, signing minor league deals with the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and the Cincinnati Reds, however, could never shake the injury bug and get back to his form he showcased in ’03.

Interesting insights by pitching mechanics analyst Chris O’Leary regarding Prior’s delivery pointed out that his once touted symmetrical delivery was harmful to his arm.

He states that Prior’s “inverted W arm action,” which saw him lift his elbows above his shoulders while his forearm pointed down, created stress on his shoulder muscles and ligaments.

Another term for this is known as scapular loading or, as author and pitching consultant Paul Nyman refers to, “proud chest.”  This is when the movement pinches a pitcher’s shoulder blades together and is often seen in pitcher’s trying to throw at a high velocity.

For more insight on these pitching mechanics, I strongly suggest O’Leary’s 2009 essay as it is filled with so much perspective on Mark Prior’s (and other’s) pitching mechanics helped me research and breakdown what occurred and caused his short-lived career.

Today, Mark Prior doesn’t blame Dusty Baker for his arm issues or even his arm delivery and pitching mechanics.  He blames no one.  In 2016, he stated in Sports Illustrated that his problems more so came from his broken elbow he suffered from the Hawpe line drive in 2005 and his collision with Giles in 2003.

Out of baseball for more than ten years now, Prior has no regrets and is just happy to be back in baseball.  He is currently the bullpen coach for the Los Angles Dodgers.

While his career was short-lived and his name will always be synonymous with “what-if’s,” Mark Prior’s 2003 season was brilliant, and he was a big part of that beloved team.  Cub fans will forever hold a soft spot in their hearts for Prior so, perhaps honorary or arbitrary, he is a Hero of Wrigley.