Most Cubs fans want Greg Maddux to return. Should they? It depends.
Not every Cub that’s left and returned has had the success they hoped for.
Here are a few examples of how the tables–and ERAs–can turn.
KEN HOLTZMAN
CUB Best known for his two no-hitters,
Holtzman had back-to-back 17-win seasons
in 1969-70. He struggled to a 9-15 mark in 1971
and was traded to Oakland for outfielder Rick Monday.
UNCUB Holtzman won three championships in his
four seasons with the A’s. His win totals from 1972-75: 19, 21, 19 and 18.
RECUB After stints with the Orioles and Yankees, Holtzman was reacquired in 1978. He went 0-3 with a 6.11 ERA in 23 games for the Cubs that season, and 6-9 with a 4.59 ERA in 1979 before retiring.
FERGIE JENKINS
CUB Acquired from the Phillies in 1966, Jenkins quickly developed into the staff workhorse. He won 20 or more games for six consecutive seasons (1967-1972) but went 14-16 in 1973, prompting the Cubs to trade him to Texas for third baseman Bill Madlock.
UNCUB In his first year with the Rangers,
Jenkins went 25-12 with 29 complete games.
He also had seasons of 17 wins (1975),
18 wins (1978) and 16 wins (1979).
RECUB Reacquired in 1982 at 39, Jenkins went 14-15 for a weak Cubs team. He retired after a 6-9 season in 1983.
RICK REUSCHEL
CUB “Big Daddy” won 10 games as a rookie
in 1972 and continued to win in double digits
through 1980, including a 20-win season in 1977.
In 1981, he was traded to the first-place Yankees for the stretch drive.
UNCUB He went 4-4 in 11 starts for the Yankees in ’81
but developed arm problems. Rotator-cuff surgery sidelined
him for all of 1982 and the Yankees released him in June 1983.
RECUB Unimpressed with his ’84 performance (5.17 ERA),
the Cubs allowed Reuschel to become a free agent.
He signed with the lowly Pirates and went 14-8 with a
2.27 ERA in 1985. In 1987, he was dealt to the Giants, winning
19 games in 1988 and 17 for the team that beat the Cubs
in the 1989 playoffs. He retired after the 1991 season.
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Edited by Michael Kellams (mkellams@tribune.com) and Chris Courtney (cdcourtney@tribune.com)
