Justin Steele

[Irrelevant Dude]

I just read this article and had no idea that Steele and his fiancee were going through this:

Quote

Spring training was underway, about seven months after the birth of her son, Beau, who shares a July birthday with his dad and Murphy’s fiance, Chicago Cubs left-hander Justin Steele. Usually active, Murphy felt especially fatigued and even nauseous after workouts. Something seemed off.

That was merely the beginning of her ordeal.

Seven months later, Murphy and Steele continue to navigate the daily challenges stemming from Murphy’s chronic Lyme disease and the journey to a diagnosis that often produced more questions than answers.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/cubs/ct-chicago-cubs-justin-steele-fiancee-lyme-disease-20230915-7k5fkplku5cs3bcwj4v7drb7v4-story.html

Obviously I hope everything turns out ok and she is able to resume a largely normal life after treatments.  I had an extended family member who died a few years ago with symptoms that were never able to be diagnosed and were likely caused by Lyme disease (although to my knowledge that was never fully confirmed).  I do know that it can be a miserable experience to deal with.

This makes what Steele has done this year all the more impressive.  With a young son and sick wife at home, he has still been able to put together an incredible season with the Cy Young Award a definite possibility.  Sometimes I think we forget that these are real people with real problems outside of baseball and those problems may occasionally impact their performance the same way that we might have an off day at work if we are struggling with something on a personal level.  For him to be able to continue pitching consistently at such a high level is an impressive accomplishment.  Hopefully he can cap it off with that Cy Young Award and a playoff berth.