Correspondence date: Nov. 2011
Ed Mayer was a southpaw tho pitched parts of two seasons in the Major Leagues with the Chicago Cubs. An amateur star in high school and college, Mr. Mayer would go on to spend 5 seasons in the minor leagues before getting called up by the Cubs in 1957. While known primarily as a reliever during his time in the Majors, he would be called on as the Cubs’ starting pitcher in his debut game.
Although the day would not go completely as planned for Mr. Mayer- he gave up 7 hits and 5 earned runs in 5 innings pitched- the Cubs would go on to beat the New York Giants 7-6. Additionally, the 2 homers Mr. Mayer would allow during the game (to Willie Mays and Hank Sauer) would be the only round-trippers he would give up in his Major League career.
In total, Mr. Mayer would appear in 22 Major League games in 1957 and 1958, all with the Cubs. He ended his career with a 2-2 record and a 4.31 ERA. Additionally, Mr. Mayer finished with a 64-59 minor league record in 202 games, twice winning 17 games (1953 and 1954).
Having played all of his Major League games with the Cubs, I asked Mr. Mayer what “being a Cub” means to him.
“It is interesting, I have traveled all over the country, & I wear my Cubs hat, people all come over & ask me if I am a Cub fan & I tell them I am a REAL Cub! My license plate on my car is OLD CUB. I have made many friends over the years. I will be 80 years old on Nov. 30th this year. I have a big family & we are celebrating BIG TIME.”
As you can see, Mr. Mayer is extremely proud of his time with the Cubs. Given the rich tradition associated with the franchise (as well as the other franchises that have been in existence since baseball’s early years), it seems as though, for some, the Cubs are not merely a baseball team, but a state of mind.
On deck: Mr. Mayer tells me how it felt to make his Major League debut.
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