One of Jed Hoyer's favorite memories of Jake Arrieta is a game where the ace didn't pitch
Of all the wonderful memories Jed Hoyer has of Jake Arrieta, the one that stands out most comes on a day the big, burly right-hander never even took the mound.
As Game 7 of the 2016 World Series was heading to extra innings, Arrieta - who had just thrown 111 pitches the night before - began warming up in the bullpen.
"I couldn't be more calm about the thought of him coming in the game," said Hoyer, the Cubs' president of baseball operations. "You knew he wanted the ball on no days' rest. You knew if he came out there he was just gonna come right after guys.
"He wanted the ball on the biggest stages. There's no bigger testament to a competitor than that. No days' rest, he wanted the ball (and) he wanted to be in Game 7."
Arrieta announced his retirement on Barstool Sports' Pardon My Take podcast Monday. The 36-year-old went 5-11 with a 6.88 ERA for the Cubs last season then was traded to the Padres. He was attempting to pitch this season, but said there were physical issues that affected his mechanics and that he couldn't feel his "arm in space at release."
Arrieta finishes with a career 115-93 record and 3.98 ERA.
As everyone knows, Arrieta did not pitch on that fateful night in Cleveland, when the Cubs defeated the Indians 8-7 in 10 innings. Arrieta was, however, one of the biggest reasons the Cubs finally ended a 108-year title drought.
The Cubs acquired Arrieta and Pedro Strop from Baltimore in exchange for Scott Feldman and Steve Clevenger on July 2, 2013. Arrieta hadn't shown much in his first three-plus seasons in Baltimore, but that all changed when he got to Chicago.
"I don't think you can say there's a bigger acquisition," Hoyer said. "(The Jon) Lester contract (is) maybe a tie?"
After going 10-5 with a 2.53 ERA in 2014, Arrieta won the Cy Young Award in 2015 by going 22-6 with a 1.77 ERA. He also threw a complete-game shutout in a 4-0 wild-card victory over Pittsburgh. Arrieta's most amazing stretch came from June 21, 2015 to June 22, 2016 when he went an unbelievable 27-3 with a 1.12 ERA. He threw 2 no-hitters during that time - on August 30, 2015 against the Dodgers and April 21, 2016 against the Reds.
"No one ever actually pitches like that," Hoyer said. "We knew it at the time that we'll never see something like that again probably in our career."
Said Cubs manager David Ross, who was Arrieta's teammate in 2015-16: "(During the) birth of my last child, I watched him throw the no-hitter (in L.A.) from the hospital. (I was) trying to be quiet in the middle of the night, and in a NICU it's not the easiest thing to do."
Arrieta went 68-31 with a 2.73 ERA for the Cubs from 2014-17. He also won Games 2 and 6 of the World Series against Cleveland. He came back last season after three years with the Phillies, but just wasn't the same.
"Last chapter didn't go as anyone hoped, but it didn't tarnish anything," Hoyer said. "He's as responsible for that run that we had as any single player. Hope he enjoys retirement."
Said Ross: "Phenomenal teammate. Great dude. Friend. Obviously an amazing pitcher. ... Guy's just got some of the best stuff I've ever been around.
"Then talk about mental toughness - doesn't get much more mentally tough than that guy. ... He was a big part of winning the World Series and changing my life."