The outspoken pitcher who rose from bartending to Major League stardom
In short: Before he was a New York Yankee, Cory Lidle was an undrafted free agent working as a bartender in Idaho. His career was a rollercoaster of historic winning streaks, controversial opinions on home run records, and a tragic end that stunned the baseball world.
Cory Lidle’s path to the Major Leagues was anything but linear. After graduating from West Covina's South Hills High School in 1990, the right-handed pitcher bypassed the draft entirely, instead signing as an amateur free agent with the Minnesota Twins. After being let go in 1993, Lidle worked behind a bar and played one year with Idaho's independent Pocatello Posse. He eventually found his way back to the big leagues, playing for several franchises including the Mets, Athletics, Blue Jays, Reds, Phillies, and Yankees between 1997 and 2006.
Lidle was known for both his on-field peaks and his unfiltered personality. In 2001, he posted a 13–6 record for the Oakland Athletics, helping them secure a wild card spot. During the 2002 season, he was a key figure in the A's historic 20-game winning streak, notably pitching a stretch in August where he allowed only one run all month. Off the field, he earned the nickname "Snacks" for his affinity for junk food and became a polarizing figure for his public challenges to the legitimacy of Barry Bonds' home run records.
His career ended abruptly following a trade from the Phillies to the Yankees in July 2006. Lidle perished in a New York City aircraft accident on October 11, 2006, only four days following the conclusion of the Yankees' campaign. While attempting a 180-degree turn in a Cirrus SR20 aircraft, the plane struck a residential building on the Upper East Side. The accident, which also claimed the life of flight instructor Tyler Stanger, injured 26 people. The tragedy left the Yankees organization in mourning, leading the team to wear black armbands throughout the 2007 season.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Cory Lidle
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/history-cory-lidle.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in Born on this day · More in History · Latest · A–Z · All topics
