Bob Patterson managed to spend 13 years in the big leagues which is no surprise. I mean, just look at that picture above. Who wouldn't want that guy on their roster? But things didn't start out that well for your friendly neighbor, Bob. He had an ERA of 24.75 in his rookie season for the Padres. That was enough for the Padres who traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Marvell Wynne (a player who would later end his career with the Cubs). Patterson then put it together for the Pirates, being a key bullpen member during some near glory years in the early 1990s.
He would play for the Texas Rangers and California Angels before the Chicago Cubs signed the 37-year-old Patterson as a free agent in 1996. For the first two years, it worked out great as he posted ERAs of 3.13 and 3.34 respectively in those first two years. Unfortunately, we are not talking about 1996 or 1997, we are talking about 1998, and that year did not go nearly as well for Bob.
His greatest highlight from that 1998 season was likely getting a save against the Braves. The Cubs had a five run lead going into the 9th, but the Cubs two most reliable relievers, Terry Mulholland and Rod Beck managed to make it a one-run game with runners on first and second and just one out. Patterson came out and immediately got Ryan Klesko to line into a double play to end the game.
But things rarely worked out that well for Patterson. The year started poorly when he gave up two runs without getting an out to give himself an infinite ERA. But Bob battled back and had his ERA down to 2.45 by May 8th. Unfortunately, after giving up four runs to the Braves on May 22nd, his ERA would never drop below 5.09 for the rest of the season. His final appearance was on July 11th when he walked Jeromy Burnitz before giving up a double to Marquis Grissom, raising his ERA to 7.20. The Cubs released him the next day.
In a year of bad bullpen performances, not even the Cubs could justify keeping Patterson around. Hell, even he may have been relieved when the Cubs released him as things just did not work out in 1998, and he called it quits after his release.
When Bob Patterson left baseball, baseball didn't just lose a middle reliever. They lost a legend behind the scenes as Patterson was known as "The Glove Doctor." Patterson would spend his time in the bullpen repairing gloves, even bringing in extra material in order to do his repairs. He didn't just do this for teammates, as he also offered his services to opposing teams as well. Bob Patterson was a really good dude, and baseball could use more guys like him. Hell, the world could use more guys like him.
In case you missed it:
Introduction
#47 - Matt Karchner
#46 - Jose Nieves
#45 - Rodney Myers
#44 - Justin Speier
#43 - Tony Fossas
#42 - Kennie Steenstra
#41 - Chris Haney
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