On July 2, 2013 the Cubs made a trade with the Baltimore Orioles sending solid back of the rotation starter Scott Feldman and back up catcher Steve Clevenger to the O's in exchange for struggling starter Jake Arrieta and struggling reliever Pedro Strop.
The trade made sense for the O's at the time, they were 47-36, and 3.5 games back of the AL East lead, but had a two game lead over the Tigers for the second Wild Card spot. They needed some pitching and although Arrieta and Strop both had legitimate potential, they couldn't rely on them to hit their stride in the middle of a playoff race.
Strop has become one of the more consistent relievers in the history of the Cubs with a 2.71 ERA in 373 appearances and 342 innings pitched on the team. He has been a key reliever for nearly every Cubs playoff run and they don't win a World Series without him.
The true star of that trade was Jake Arrieta. A once top prospect who at the time looked like he was going to be just another pitcher who was hyped in the minor leagues, but was unable to find it in the big leagues.
After making a few starts in the minor leagues for the Iowa Cubs, Arrieta made his big league Cubs debut on July 30 against the Milwaukee Brewers. He showed a bit of his potential allowing just two hits and a run over six strong innings. He walked three while striking out just two. He threw 59 percent of his pitches for strikes against a Brewers lineup that was missing Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez.
Overall, the first results for Arrieta were a mixed bag. He posted a 3.66 ERA in 51.2 innings allowing just 34 hits, but he struck out just 37 while walking 24 and giving up seven home runs.
He broke out in a big way in 2014 though posting a 2.53 ERA in 25 starts and 156.2 innings pitched with 167 strikeouts and 41 walks. He was finally able to get his nasty stuff mostly under control and it payed major dividends for him.
To me his breakout start will always be his June 30 start against the Boston Red Sox. He took a no hitter into the 8th inning against the defending World Series champions striking out 10 over 7.2 dominating innings. That was the second of three different starts where he would take a no hitter/perfect game into at least the 7th inning.
I don't think there is any doubt in anyones head that his 2015 season is easily his best season. He won the NL Cy Young award with a 22-6 record and a 1.77 ERA in 229 innings pitched. His second half is considered some of the greatest pitching in the history of baseball. In his final 15 starts he posted an unbelievable 0.75 ERA allowing just nine earned runs in 107.1 innings pitched while striking out 113 and walking just 23
During that stretch he pitched against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday Night Baseball and pitched the Cubs first no-hitter since Carlos Zambrano in 2008. During that game he struck out 12 while walking just one batter.
He took the mound on October 7th in the NL Wild Card game against Gerrit Cole and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Before the game he tweeted at a Pirates fan saying "Whatever keeps your hopes alive, just know it doesn't matter,"
He lived up to his word throwing a complete game five hit shutout and winning the Cubs first playoff game since the infamous 2003 NLCS. Although that Cubs team didn't win it all, it had a very special vibe to it that won't ever be repeated.
The 2016 Cubs were a special team, they were dominant all around and won 103 games on the way to winning their first World Series since 1908.
Although he wasn't as good as he was in 2015 (a very hard task to complete) he was still very good posting a 3.10 ERA in 31 starts and 197.1 innings pitched. He had some crucial starts in the postseason including winning both of his World Series starts. In Game 3 of the NLDS he hit a three-run home run off of Madison Bumgarner who is one of the greatest postseason pitchers of all time.
He fell off a bit in 2017 with a 3.53 ERA in 30 starts. Even though he was no longer the ace he had been before, he was still an excellent starting pitcher who could dominate any given day. The Cubs would lose the NLCS in five games to the Dodgers, but he would secure the Cubs only win of that series striking out nine and allowing just one run in 6.2 innings pitched.
He signed with the Phillies that offseason bringing his tenure with the Cubs to an unceremonious end, but when he takes the mound Monday night against the Cubs, the fans should give him a thundering ovation for what he did for the team.
So thank you Jake, we definitely wouldn't win the World Series without you, now lets hope you get lit up tonight.
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