Jack Curtis’ baseball career was not long or illustrious enough to land him in the Hall of Fame, but in parts of three major league seasons he took the field with some of the game’s all-time greats.
Curtis, who died last week at age 88, made his big league debut as the starting pitcher for the Chicago Cubs on April 22, 1961. The left-hander got all the run support he needed that day thanks in part to a middle of the batting order featuring Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Ernie Banks — all future Hall of Famers.
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When he pitched his final game, a relief appearance for the Cleveland Indians on May 1, 1963, Curtis was followed out of the bullpen by two-time All-Star Mudcat Grant and three-time All-Star Jim Perry.
In between his brief stints in Chicago and Cleveland, Curtis teamed up with Warren Spahn, Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Joe Torre, and Bob Uecker on the 1962 Milwaukee Braves.
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Along the way, Curtis racked up 69 major league appearances, including 35 starts, going 14-19 with a 4.84 ERA.
A native of North Carolina, Curtis signed his first professional contract with the Cubs after graduating from Granite Falls (N.C.) High School in 1956. He spent five full seasons rising through the minor league ranks, culminating in an outstanding 1960 season at Double-A San Antonio.
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That year, Curtis went 19-8 with a 3.57 ERA and 19 complete games. He was named a Texas League All-Star, pitcher of the year, and subsequently earned a spot in the Cubs’ rotation to begin the 1961 season.
Although he went 10-13 with a subpar 4.89 ERA (85 ERA+), Curtis finished third in 1961 National League Rookie of the Year voting. He was also named to the NL All-Star team as a batting practice pitcher.
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Curtis made only four appearances for the Cubs in 1962, going 0-2, before he was traded to the Braves for veteran Bob Buhl less than a month into the season. In his only year in Milwaukee, Curtis went 4-4 with a 4.16 ERA in 30 games (five starts).
Milwaukee traded Curtis again after the season in a five-player swap with Cleveland. Curtis’ career in Cleveland lasted only four games, and he was cut with an 18.00 ERA (10 earned runs in five innings).
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Although his major league career ended there, Curtis’ time in professional baseball was far from over. He spent the remainder of the 1963 season and all of 1964 with the Indians’ Triple-A affiliate.
From 1965-67, Curtis played in the New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins’ organizations without seeing action in any major league games.
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After his playing career ended, Curtis worked for Regal Manufacturing in Hickory, N.C. as a production manager. He coached youth baseball and basketball in his hometown, and was inducted into the Caldwell County Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.
Curtis is survived by his sons, Rick and Chris, five grandchildren, and his sister Sandra.
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