{"id":92981,"date":"2024-12-30T20:12:16","date_gmt":"2024-12-31T01:12:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=92981"},"modified":"2024-12-30T20:12:16","modified_gmt":"2024-12-31T01:12:16","slug":"jake-arrieta-historic-run-cubs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/12\/30\/jake-arrieta-historic-run-cubs\/","title":{"rendered":"Looking Back at Jake Arrieta’s Historic Run with the Cubs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jake Arrieta<\/a> was traded to the Chicago Cubs in the middle of the 2013 season. To that point, he\u2019d had limited success in his career with the Baltimore Orioles and was in the midst of his worst run in the big leagues. The Cubs’ then-president of baseball operations Theo Epstein was generating a lot of buzz around the league at the time. Arrieta\u2019s acquisition, alongside reliever<\/a> Pedro Strop<\/a>, was seen as not much more than a depth-providing measure. What Arrieta did next stunned the baseball world and rewrote history. Let’s take a look back at the former Cubs ace’s historic run.<\/p>\n

Jake Arrieta’s Annus Mirabilis for the Cubs<\/h2>\n

A Young and Promising Arm Out of College<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Arrieta was selected by the Orioles in the fifth round (159) of the 2007 draft out of Texas Christian. The six-foot-four, 230-pound right-hander was a Single-A Futures Game selection and Pitcher of the Year in 2008.<\/p>\n

His average fastball velocity<\/a> (95.1 mph) was above league average. Over time he added a hard slider (90.8), a sinker (95.3), and he also threw a curveball and changeup. In every case, his velocity was above league averages.<\/p>\n

A So-So Early Career in Baltimore<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Arrieta made his major league debut on June 10, 2010, ending with a 6-6 record in 18 starts. Over the next three seasons, Arrieta\u2019s walks, hits and strikeout ratios steadily improved. But his numbers were still anything but brilliant.<\/p>\n

By the middle of the 2013 campaign, he had accumulated a 20-25 record, a 5.79 ERA, and a 1.472 WHIP, with 277 strikeouts in 358 innings, all of them as a starter. He was also on his worst run as a pro with a 1-2 record, a 7.23 ERA, and a 1.775 WHIP in five starts that season.<\/p>\n

A Fresh Start On Chicago\u2019s Northside<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On July 2, 2013, Arrieta and teammate and fellow righthander Pedro Strop were traded to the Cubs. The deal sent catcher Steve Clevenger<\/a> and right-handed pitcher Scott Feldman<\/a> to the Orioles.<\/p>\n

Arrieta was the first of the five starters who ended up filling the Cubs starting rotation in 2016. Kyle Hendricks<\/a> and Jon Lester<\/a> were acquired in the next two seasons, respectively, and John Lackey<\/a> and Jason Hammel<\/a> before the 2016 season.<\/p>\n

It was at that point that something clicked for the journeyman starter. Whether it was the buzz going around the league about the team being built in Chicago, or just his own desire to succeed, Arrieta made the most of his chance.<\/p>\n

Peaking At Just the Right Moment<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Passion, Process, and Progress<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Arrieta finished the 2013 season with a 4-2 record with career-bests in ERA (3.66) and WHIP (1.123) in nine starts. Suddenly brimming with confidence, he followed that with an exceptional performance in 2014. That year he went 10-5, with a 2.53 ERA, a 0.989 WHIP, and 167 strikeouts in 156 2\/3 innings. His complete game shutout that season perhaps foreshadowed that a still greater performance was yet to come. Arrieta provided that the following season.<\/p>\n

2015: Answering the Call to Greatness<\/b><\/h4>\n

The Cubs ace’s historic run began in 2015. His 22-6 record, 1.77 ERA, 0.865 WHIP, and 236 strikeouts in 229 innings only tell part of the story. In a record-setting second half, he allowed just four earned runs in 13 starts from the beginning of August and a 0.37 ERA. That streak included the no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 30, the first of two in eight months.<\/p>\n

His 20 consecutive quality starts were the most ever to end a season. He then threw a five-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts and no walks against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Wild Card Game. He was the first pitcher to record a postseason shutout with 10-plus strikeouts and no walks.<\/p>\n

That season, Arrieta led the NL in hits and lowest home runs allowed per nine innings pitched. His superior second half earned him the National League Cy Young Award, the first by a Cubs pitcher since Greg Maddux<\/a> in 1992. It had been a historic year by any measure, but the 29-year-old from Farmington, Missouri, wasn’t finished yet.<\/p>\n

2016: Another Great Season and A World Series Title<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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OTD in 2016, Jake Arrieta threw his 2nd no-hitter in 11 starts \ud83e\udd2f@Prevagen<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/hFArFniE5L<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 21, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n