Mike Cubbage

Mike Cubbage
Third baseman/Manager
Born: July 21, 1950 Charlottesville, Virginia
Batted: Switch Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 7, 1974, for the Texas Rangers
Last MLB appearance
October 3, 1981, for the New York Mets
MLB statistics
Batting average	.258
Home Runs	34
RBI	251
Teams
As Player Texas Rangers (1974–1976) Minnesota Twins (1976–1980) New York Mets (1981) As Manager New York Mets (1991) As Coach New York Mets (1990-1996) Houston Astros (1997-2001) Boston Red Sox (2002-2003)

Michael Lee Cubbage (born July 21, 1950) is a former third baseman, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. Listed at 6' 0", 180 lb., he batted left-handed and threw right-handed.

Early life

Born in Charlottesville, Virginia, Cubbage was the son of Lindy and Marge Cubbage and came from a baseball family, as his cousins Larry Haney and Chris Haney played in the Major Leagues. Cubbage attended University of Virginia, where he played for the Virginia Cavaliers baseball team.

Playing career

Cubbage originally was selected by the expansion Washington Senators in the sixth round of the 1968 MLB draft but did not sign. He then was drafted again by Washington in the second round of the 1971 entry draft, and spent parts of four seasons in the Minor Leagues before joining the Texas Rangers on April 7, 1974 in a game against the Oakland Athletics.

Cubbage was traded to the Minnesota Twins in 1976. On July 27, 1978 he hit for the cycle against the Toronto Blue Jays. Those that attended the game or watched on television called it an "accidental cycle": in the bottom of the 2nd inning, he hit a 1-0 pitch to right field and was thrown out at third trying to leg out a triple. He was therefore credited for a double on the play. He later signed as a free agent with the New York Mets for the 1981 season. Throughout his playing career, he was considered somewhat of a utility player, playing mostly third base, but with stints at the first and second bases and designated hitter positions. Although he spent most of his playing time at shortstop in high school, Cubbage did not receive any playing time at this position in the major leagues.

Coaching and managerial career

Cubbage managed the Mets' AA affiliate Jackson Mets for the 1986 season, taking them to their league playoff finals.

Cubbage then served as Mets' third base coach in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and was named interim manager in September 1991.^[1] He managed the Mets in seven games, finishing with a career managerial record of three wins and four losses (.429).

In 2002, Cubbage served as the interim manager of the Boston Red Sox after previous manager Joe Kerrigan was fired during spring training. He remained on the staff after the Red Sox hired Grady Little as Kerrigan's full-time replacement.^[2]

References

1. SEXTON, JOE (1991-10-01). "BASEBALL; The Mets' Manager for 1992? Try Cubbage, Says Cubbage". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
2. "Red Sox pick Little to be new manager". Chicago Sun-Times. 2002-03-12. Retrieved 2007-06-17.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)