Mark Guthrie

[Brandon Glick]

Mark Guthrie is a former MLB relief pitcher who spent 15 seasons in the big leagues, including parts of three campaigns with the Chicago Cubs.

Originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourth round of the 1986 MLB Draft, Guthrie returned to LSU for his senior season, ultimately falling to the seventh round in the following year's selection cycle before the Minnesota Twins scooped him up. Winning had a way of following Guthrie, as LSU won its first ever College World Series appearance with him atop the pitching staff in 1986. The Twins then won the World Series in 1987 after drafting him (while Guthrie was still in the minor leagues), and finally, the stars aligned, as Guthrie and the Twins won the 1991 World Series, the same year his alma mater won its first National Championship.

Guthrie lasted parts of seven seasons in Minneapolis, converting from a starter to a reliever by the end of his tenure. Then, during the 1995 season, Guthrie was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he would serve primarily as the set-up man to two-time All-Star closer Jeff Shaw. Guthrie then headed to Boston in free agency, ultimately lasting just 46 games with the Red Sox before finding himself in Chicago in exchange for Rod Beck.

Hand up, I legitimately did not remember that Guthrie pitched for the Cubs in 1999 and 2000. In fairness to myself, he only made 30 appearances during his first stop on the North Side before being traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the first trade in that franchise's history (the Cubs received outfielder Dave Martinez in return). After a brief tour of the country with the Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, and New York Mets, Guthrie returned to the Cubs on a one-year deal, and this time, his tenure in Chicago was far more memorable.

In 42 2/3 regular season innings for the Cubs in 2003, Guthrie authored a 2.74 ERA, somehow finding a way to shut opposing hitters down despite a 24-22 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Alongside Kyle Farnsworth (19 holds) and Mike Remlinger (17 holds), Guthrie (10 holds) served as a set-up man for closer Joe Borowski. It was a really strong quartet to have in the back-end of the bullpen... at least until the playoffs. Guthrie deserves plenty of credit for a brilliant final season with the Cubs, but he was disastrous in the playoffs, surrendering two home runs in just 1 2/3 innings pitched. Of course, nothing mattered more than the pinch-hit home run he surrendered to Mike Lowell in Game 1 of the 2003 NLCS, which gave the Marlins a crucial 9-8 victory.

After that 2003 season, Guthrie signed a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but the writing was on the wall. After failing to make the roster out of spring training, Guthrie officially retired from Major League Baseball in 2004.

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