Mike Cubbage | |||
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Third baseman/Manager | |||
Born: Charlottesville, Virginia |
July 21, 1950 |||
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MLB debut | |||
April 7, 1974, for the Texas Rangers | |||
Last MLB appearance | |||
October 3, 1981, for the New York Mets | |||
MLB statistics | |||
Batting average | .258 | ||
Home Runs | 34 | ||
RBI | 251 | ||
Teams | |||
As Player As Manager As Coach |
As Player
As Manager
As Coach
Michael Lee Cubbage (born July 21, 1950) is a former third baseman, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. Listed at 6' 0", 180 lb., he batted left-handed and threw right-handed.
Born in Charlottesville, Virginia, Cubbage was the son of Lindy and Marge Cubbage and came from a baseball family, as his cousins Larry Haney and Chris Haney played in the Major Leagues. Cubbage attended University of Virginia, where he played for the Virginia Cavaliers baseball team.
Cubbage originally was selected by the expansion Washington Senators in the sixth round of the 1968 MLB draft but did not sign. He then was drafted again by Washington in the second round of the 1971 entry draft, and spent parts of four seasons in the Minor Leagues before joining the Texas Rangers on April 7, 1974 in a game against the Oakland Athletics.
Cubbage was traded to the Minnesota Twins in 1976. On July 27, 1978 he hit for the cycle against the Toronto Blue Jays. Those that attended the game or watched on television called it an "accidental cycle": in the bottom of the 2nd inning, he hit a 1-0 pitch to right field and was thrown out at third trying to leg out a triple. He was therefore credited for a double on the play. He later signed as a free agent with the New York Mets for the 1981 season. Throughout his playing career, he was considered somewhat of a utility player, playing mostly third base, but with stints at the first and second bases and designated hitter positions. Although he spent most of his playing time at shortstop in high school, Cubbage did not receive any playing time at this position in the major leagues.