Remember Some Cubs: Big Z Was Larger Than Life

The Cubs signed Carlos Zambrano out of Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, on July 12, 1997. By his third year in pro ball, he was a reliever at Triple-A Iowa, leading to his highest prospect ranking of 68 by Baseball America. Zambrano debuted in August of 2001 and would become a fixture in the Cubs’ rotation for the next decade. 

The pitcher affectionately referred to as “Big Z,” threw 209+ innings in five consecutive seasons from 2003-2007, combining workhorse stamina with occasionally elite results. He led the league in walks allowed in 2006 and 2007 (not to mention when he led the league in hit-by-pitch with 20 in 2004). Still, he was also uniquely gifted at keeping the ball in the ballpark, only allowing more than one home run per nine innings once in his Cubs tenure (his final season with the team). 

Zambrano earned All-Star selections in 2004, 2006, and 2008, which was a reflection of his pitching prowess. However, Zambrano was also known as a legitimate threat at the plate, with three seasons of a .300+ batting average. He also had three years of leading all pitchers in home runs hit, each of which coincided with his three Silver Slugger awards. 

The Cubs re-signed Zambrano to a five-year, $91.5 million extension in August of 2007, still the most lucrative in-house extension the Cubs have ever handed out. Though Zambrano’s best days were behind him at this point, he was still the ace of a team that won the NL Central in 2008 with 97 wins and was the number one seed in the National League that season.  

“El Toro” was a consistently good pitcher through some important years in Cubs history, but Cubs fans loved him for his temperament and emotions on the mound. He had several famous outbursts pointed at umpires, opponents, and teammates alike, as his passion for baseball was plain to see.

From home runs to postseason starts, Zambrano had several memorable highlights with the Cubs. However, his no-hitter on September 14, 2008, against the Houston Astros permeates fans’ memories to this day. The circumstances surrounding that game were wild enough - Hurricane Ike had forced the Cubs and Astros to play at Miller Park (making it the only no-hitter in MLB history to be pitched at a neutral site) - though the historical context was just as incredible. It was the first no-hitter for the Cubs since Milt Pappas’ near-perfect game in 1972 against the Padres, ending the second-longest drought between no-hitters in franchise history. 

Zambrano’s Cubs tenure officially ended when the Cubs traded him to the Miami Marlins on January 5, 2012, in exchange for Chris Volstad. However, his foot was already out the door after being placed on the “disqualified players list” in August of the previous season following one of his patented emotional outbursts. That season with the Marlins was his final year in the majors, though he attempted failed comebacks in 2013 (with the Phillies) and 2018 (in independent ball). 

One of the few successfully developed pitching prospects the franchise has had in recent decades, Big Z never quite reached the stratospheric heights some believed he was capable of. However, his big personality at the plate and on the mound endeared him to a generation of Cubs fans, hence his popularity today.

Are you interested in Cubs history? Then check out the Chicago Cubs Players Project, a community-driven project to discover and collect great information on every player to wear a Cubs uniform!