By Logan Cameron, OVC Campus Correspondent
It was a warm, spring afternoon. I was 13 years old, pitching a baseball in the front yard to my younger brother while our youngest brother played second base, anticipating a throw-down to catch the “imaginary runner” stealing a base. We each proudly displayed our favorite Chicago Cubs gear, further imagining that we were on the grass of Wrigley Field, playing for the team. My dad shuffled through our “ball diamond,” carrying tree branches and twigs that had fallen in a storm the night before. I turned to him and exclaimed, “Look, dad – I’m Kerry Wood!” With a smirk, he cleverly responded, “Yeah, I’ll make you carry wood.” To this day, that story remains one of his favorites about his three sons.
The Chicago Cubs have enriched my life and, in many ways, have shaped who I am. I can still charade an exact impersonation of Sammy Sosa’s tokened batting stance and home run trot, and possess one of his many home run balls. I remember speeding home from high school in my 1992 Toyota Camry (with the Chicago Cubs license plate cover) to catch the tail end of an afternoon ballgame while scarfing down milk and Oreos. I’ve met Ryne Sandberg and have his autograph. I met visiting pitching legend Tom Glavine at Wrigley Field after a ballgame with my mom. After graduating college, my family went to the ballpark and I had the privilege of enjoying my first Old Style at Wrigley Field with my dad.
These moments are what make sports so special to all of us – we develop attachments and keep-sakes, creating lifelong memories around them.
What makes my story so different from that of SIUE Baseball alum Spencer Patton? Well, you see, Spencer has trotted that grass of Wrigley Field. He’s touched the beautiful ivy, heard the roar of 40,000 dedicated fans cheering on the “lovable losers,” and seen the “W” flag wave proudly above Sheffield and Waveland Avenues.
“Pitching at Wrigley Field for the first time felt like I was making my MLB debut again,” Patton said. “Playing in the big leagues with other teams, I’d never really had the feeling of being in front of a crowd like that or a fan base like that. Being out there on Wrigley Field for the first time, knowing the history of the Chicago Cubs and the stadium, and how many fans there are and how much they are into the season – it felt like my debut again. I was a bit nervous and I definitely had some emotions going on. It was awesome, just to hear the crowd and be a part of that environment.”
A native of Kinmundy, Illinois, Patton attended SIUE from 2009-11. As a pitcher for the Cougars, Patton enjoyed one of the finest single-seasons in school history in 2011. Recording a team-best 2.55 earned run average (ERA), Patton’s nine wins on the year was third-most in a single season in school history. He also became just the fourth pitcher in school history with at least 100 strikeouts in a season, fanning 109 batters, the second-most in SIUE single-season history. Patton’s average of 11 strikeouts per nine innings was the third-best in a single season in SIUE history. By the end of the season, Patton had not only tossed a complete game…he did it twice! In recognition of his stellar collegiate performance, Patton was named the 2011 NCAA Division I Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner.
Patton concluded a prosperous Cougar career with the following totals:
• ERA: 4.01
• W-L: 13-10
• Appearances: 36 (w/ 30 games started)
• Complete Games: 3
• Innings Pitched: 172
• Hits: 169
• Runs: 99
• Earned Runs: 77
• Walks: 69
• Strikeouts: 201
“My time at SIUE was great. The campus was beautiful and I enjoyed playing there,” Patton said. “My SIUE pitching coach, Tony Stoecklin, really helped develop my slider. I think that was a key thing for me, moving forward into pro ball – learning to control that pitch and be confident with it.”
In 2011, Patton was drafted as a relief pitcher by the Kansas City Royals in the 24th round of the Major League Baseball Draft.
Proving groomed for the big leagues while with the Royals’ Farm System, Patton was traded to the Texas Rangers on July 16, 2014. That same year, on September 4, Patton made his major league debut with the Rangers – a home game versus the Seattle Mariners. While the Rangers suffered a crippling loss by a score of 10-2, Patton’s outing was tremendous. Through two relief innings pitched, Patton faced six batters with 25 pitches, recording a strikeout and not allowing a hit. During his 2015 rookie campaign, Patton continued to defy expectations and prove himself as a reliable member of the bullpen.
On November 20, 2015, the Rangers traded Patton to the Chicago Cubs. In his first year with the Cubs, Patton made appearances in 16 games, pitched 21 innings, recorded 22 strikeouts and finished the season with a record of 1-1, getting the nod as closing pitcher in seven outings.
“It was great to play for the Cubs during this monumental season,” Patton explained. “The energy was high all season, and the relationships with the guys were good. It was awesome to be part of that with the fans.
“Being a part of such a quirky, close-knit clubhouse allowed everybody to play better. There is a loosened mentality in the clubhouse. Everyone is just there to have fun and get along with each other, which helped because things weren’t so uptight and tense. We stuck with it and each day was a new day – we came into each game with the same attitude as we had the day before and just had fun with it.”
For Cubs fans, Patton’s 2016 season was highlighted by his involvement in some typical Joe Maddon trickery. On June 28, 2016, the Cubs’ bench was wearing thin in a 15-inning marathon versus the Cincinnati Reds. In response, Maddon worked efficiently in the Cubs’ 7-2 win by rotating Patton, Travis Wood and Pedro Strop between left field and the pitcher’s mound. This was Patton’s first time playing the outfield since high school!
“That was by far the craziest thing to happen in my career,” Patton chuckled. “That was pretty awesome to stand out in left field and take in that moment. Pretty amazing.”
Oh, and by the way…did I mention the Chicago Cubs are 2016 World Series Champions, ending the franchise’s 108-year drought?! That’s right, Spencer has hoisted the Commissioner's Trophy and a ring is coming his way – a feeling unfamiliar to a Chicago Cub since 1908.
“I don’t think it’s by accident that we won. It’s because of the excellent coaching staff and front office that has been put together here,” Patton shared. “It’s by design, with Theo [Epstein}, Jed [Hoyer] and the Ricketts family putting this staff and group of players together. Working with coaches like Joe Maddon, who has a reputation for being a genius in the game, has been amazing. To be a part of the type of baseball he likes to play and seeing how he uses guys and his diverse type of game – it’s pretty cool.
“To know I played a role in this season and being able to say, ‘I was a part of history. I was part of that team that won it all,’ is really special to me. Receiving that World Series ring is something I’m absolutely looking forward to! It’s a wonderful accomplishment and really culminates the hard work and success in a baseball career.”
In 2016, the Chicago Cubs did the impossible. Extinguished are the “curses” of a Billy goat and Steve Bartman. So what if Back to the Future was wrong? The Cubs just wanted to wait a bit longer.
"Being in the big leagues is every little boy's dream." - Spencer Patton
This year’s World Series was for much more than a title – it was for the integrity of baseball. With the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians having a combined World Series drought of 176 years, it was by far the greatest deficit in baseball. However, each stadium seat was filled throughout the Series, regardless of price. Why? It wasn’t because Rick "the Wild Thing" Vaughn was making an appearance, nor was it because Henry Rowengartner was set to become Rookie of the Year. It was because baseball cultivates an unwavering fandom. A bond that brings people together, regardless of which team you root for. A connection that allows multiple generations, from grandparents to toddlers, to form special relationships and traditions.
“Being in the big leagues is every little boy’s dream,” Patton said. “It’s the ultimate goal to get to and it’s where you want to be. It’s amazing to be able to play that type of baseball.”
At SIUE, we too have a tradition of diversity, friendship, respect and the continuous pursuit of excellence. Those morals were instilled in Spencer as a Cougar, and they continue to follow him as a Cub today. From Roy E. Lee Field to Wrigley, Spencer is a beacon of SIUE’s light as he and his team continue to rewrite the history of major league baseball.
“Go, Cubs, Go! Go, Cubs, Go! Hey, Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna’ win today!”
Logan Cameron is currently a graduate assistant in the University Marketing and Communications department at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). He completed his bachelor's degree in business administration from SIUE.