Getty Luke Little points to an umpire during a game.
Chicago Cubs pitcher Luke Little has the MLB’s most ironic name.
The 6 foot, 8 inch tall left-handed pitcher has excelled during the 2024 season, producing a 0.00 ERA across 3 innings pitched.
Prior to April 3, Little had only worked as a reliever throughout his 10-game MLB career. But Cubs first-year manager Craig Counsell made Little the starter for their April 3 game against the Colorado Rockies.
According to Christopher Kamka of Marquee Sports Network, Little starting that game made it so he tied the record for being the tallest starting pitcher in Cubs history.
Little tied the height record with Chris Volstad, who started 21 games for Chicago in 2012.
Although Little’s height wasn’t the only historic aspect of his April 3 start.
Luke Little Made More History Against Colorado
Seeing Little take the mound for the first inning of their April 3 game must have been déjà vu for the Rockies.
Prior to starting against them on April 3, Little also closed Colorado’s previous game out against the Cubs on April 2, when the Cubs defeated the Rockies by a score of 12-2.
In doing so, NBC Sports Chicago noted how Little became the first Cubs pitcher to close a game and start the next one since 1976.
The aforementioned Christopher Kamka also posted on X, that Little was the first Cubs pitcher to close a game and start the next one against the same team since 1955.
If Luke Little starts tomorrow, he’ll be the first #Cubs pitcher to finish one game and start the next day’s game since Warren Hacker on May 2, 1955.
Hacker finished a suspended game that day and tossed a CG in the regularly scheduled one at Connie Mack Stadium in Philly.
The previous pitcher to do so was Warren Hacker, who played 12 seasons in the MLB — including nine with the Cubs — from 1948 to 1961.
A Cubs SB Nation page explained that Hacker finished a game that had been suspended the night prior, because Pennsylvania had curfew laws for baseball games until 1961.
After finishing that game, Hacker then returned to the mound for the next one; both of which ended on May 2, 1955.
Little is Willing to Do “Whatever [Cubs] Want”
The only reason Little made a start for Chicago on April 3 was because Cubs ace Justin Steele suffered a hamstring strain on opening day, and is now on the IL.
While inserting Little into the starting rotation is a short-term solution for Counsell’s club, Little told NBC Sports Chicago after the April 3 win that he’s up for whatever they ask.
“It was good to go out there and show that I can go back to back days, and just do whatever role they want me to do,” Little said. “Out of the bullpen, or be an opener. So, whatever they want.”
Prior to becoming a jack of all trades for the Cubs, Little was best known for going viral in 2020, after throwing a 105 mph fastball during an indoor bullpen session.
The Cubs just took Luke Little, aka the guy who hit 105 mph in a quarantine bullpen.
Scouting report:
Little hasn’t managed to hit 105 yet in an MLB game. Although his funky left-handed delivery — combined with him routinely touching 99 mph in games this year — proves that the Cubs clearly struck gold when selecting Little in the 4th round of the 2020 MLB draft.
It’s unclear when the Cubs expect Justin Steele to return from his injury. In the meantime, expect to see more of Little’s tall figure toeing the Cubs’ rubber.