James Lester Strode (born June 17, 1958) is an American professional baseball coach. He was the bullpen coach for the Chicago Cubs from 2007 through 2019.
| Lester Strode | |
|---|---|
 Strode with the Chicago Cubs in 2008 | |
| Bullpen coach | |
| Born: June 17, 1958 McMinnville, Tennessee | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Career
editHe was born and raised in McMinnville, Tennessee, often crediting McMinnville as his home. After attending Kentucky State University, Strode was selected as a pitcher by the Kansas City Royals in the 4th round of the 1980 amateur draft and played in the minors from 1980 to 1988.[1][2]
After his playing career ended, he was a longtime pitching coach in the Chicago Cubs farm system.[2] Strode was the pitching coach for the Rookie League Wytheville Cubs in 1989, the Single-A Peoria Chiefs from 1990 to 1991, the Winston-Salem Spirits in 1992, and the Daytona Cubs in 1993.[2] He was then the Cubs' minor league pitching coordinator from 1996 to 2006.[2] Following the 2006 season, he became the Cubs' bullpen coach.[3] Strode served as the Cubs bullpen coach from 2007 through 2019, under managers Lou Piniella, Mike Quade, Dale Sveum, Rick Rentería, and Joe Maddon. He was a member of the 2016 coaching staff for the Cubs that led the team winning the World Series.[4]
In December 2006, Strode was chosen as a member of the Warren County (TN) Sports Hall of Fame.[5]
He was inducted to the Kentucky State Thorobreds sports Hall of Fame in 2017.
References
edit- ^ "Lester Strode Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Lester Strode #35". Chicago.cubs.mlb.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on November 3, 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
- ^ "Cubs Add Three Coaches". WSB-TV. 27 October 2006. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
- ^ Bastian, Jordan; Muskat, Carrie. "Chicago Cubs win 2016 World Series". MLB. Archived from the original on November 30, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
- ^ "Strode guest of honor at Cumberland Thursday". Southern Standard. 18 March 2008. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
External links
edit- Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Cubs.com bio
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