'Scotty was such a good guy': Maddon shares fond memories of Cubs pitcher Sanderson
Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon on Thursday remembered former pitcher Scott Sanderson as “thoughtful” and “kind.”
Sanderson, who pitched for the Cubs from 1984-89 and appeared in two postseasons with them, died Thursday at 62 following an illness.
A graduate of Glenbrook North High School, Sanderson went 163-143 with a 3.84 ERA in a career that spanned from 1978-96. He began with the Montreal Expos and also pitched for Oakland, the New York Yankees, the Angels (in two stints), the Giants and the White Sox (1994). He became a successful players' agent after his baseball career ended.
With the Cubs, Sanderson was 42-42 with a 3.81 ERA. He started Game 4 of the National League championship series at San Diego, a game the Padres won 7-5 to tie the series at two games each. San Diego won the series in five games.
In 1994, Sanderson was 8-4 with a 5.09 ERA with the White Sox.
Maddon was with Sanderson when Maddon was a coach and manager of the Angels.
“Scotty was such a good guy,” Maddon said. “I don't remember the specifics, but there was something going on in the clubhouse. There was a clubhouse meeting. And all of a sudden, Scotty spoke up. I can't remember exactly the context, but he was so eloquent. When he got done, I went up to him and I told him how much I appreciated what he had said.
“Really thoughtful, kind. Just a wonderful man. I saw him at the Cub convention just a couple years ago. We had a really fun conversation. It's just a shame. I didn't know he was that ill.”
Maddon also smiled at one memory involving former Sox catcher Ron Karkovice.
“He developed this phrase that I utilize when somebody has been ‘Karkoviced,'” Maddon said “Ron Karkovice was playing for the White Sox and Scotty was with us. Scotty jammed him so badly on a full swing that the popup may have gone 12 feet high, and Scotty had to come in and catch it in the air because nobody else could get to it.
“So anytime a hitter takes a full swing and the ball does not go beyond the pitcher's mound and it's caught as a popup, you've been Karkoviced. And that is something that Scotty motivated me to think.”
Long journey to Cubs:
Left-handed reliever Tim Collins made his Cubs debut Wednesday and tossed a scoreless ninth inning in the 5-2 loss to the Pirates.
The 5-foot-7 Collins, 29, was recalled from Class AAA Iowa Wednesday. He signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs last month. Collins came up with the Kansas City Royals in 2011 but did not pitch in 2015-16 because of two Tommy John surgeries, in March 2015 and March 2026.
He pitched in 38 games last year with Washington.
“I have been fortunate enough to come out the other end of it,” he said. “I've had a couple years now where I've been healthy.
“The way I had to go about (surgery) was a lot different than the other guys that did. The other guys had some separation between their two surgeries. I was almost 12 months to the date removed from my first one. I didn't feel right, so I kind of knew something was wrong. So I guess I prepared myself for the bad news and hoped for the best.”