Ryan Dempster was an all-star for the Marlins in 2000, but after three awful years that followed and Tommy John surgery in the summer of 2003, the right-handed pitcher no longer had a home in MLB. That was until the Cubs gave him a shot, signing him as a free agent in 2004, while he was still rehabbing from the elbow surgery. Then, Dempster completely rejuvenated his career with the Cubs, ended up winning a World Series with the Red Sox and now he’s been inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall Of Fame.
The former Cubs pitcher is one of four new inductees, which were announced on Tuesday.
Congratulations to @Dempster46 as he is one of four new inductees into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Induction day is June 15. @Cubs @baseballcanada @MLBNetwork @MLBNetworkPR https://t.co/Dz7SVP7KGL pic.twitter.com/zLs0K8FAUI
— CDN Baseball HOF (@CDNBaseballHOF) February 5, 2019
Former slugger Jason Bay (Trail, B.C.), versatile ex-pitcher Ryan Dempster (Sechelt, B.C.), esteemed coach Rob Thomson (Sarnia, Ont.) and long-time executive Gord Ash (Toronto, Ont.) will be inducted into the Canadian ball shrine in a ceremony to take place on June 15 at the Hall of Fame grounds in St. Marys, Ont.
Dempster pitched in nine seasons with the Cubs and not only did he have success as a closer, he transitioned back into a starting pitcher in 2008, and finished sixth in Cy Young voting after recording a 2.96 ERA in 206.2 innings that season.
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Overall with the Cubs, Dempster notched 87 saves, won 67 games and recorded a 3.74 ERA in 1,182.2 innings, while being named an all-star in 2008.
Dempster finished his 16-year major league career near the top of most all-time Canadian pitching categories, including second in wins (132), strikeouts (2,075), starts (351) and innings pitched (2,387). He also ranks fourth in games (579), saves (87) and WAR (22.5).
Congrats to Ryan Dempster!
Congratulations to @Dempster46, who will be inducted into the @CDNBaseballHOF on June 15! pic.twitter.com/hi6nvlQpOu
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) February 5, 2019
Oh, and we can’t talk about Dempster without mentioning his trade in 2012, because as good as he was with Chicago and all the things he accomplished in nine years, the best thing Dempster did for the Cubs was veto a trade to the Braves and eventually accept one to the Rangers. The return was Christian Villanueva and another pitcher named Kyle Hendricks.
No, but seriously, this is a great honor for Dempster. I just wonder if he’s going to do his speech as himself, or Harry Caray.
