NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Lou Piniella’s time with the Cubs, and his managerial career, ended sooner than he expected. In August 2010, he already had announced his intention to retire after the season. But after a Sunday game against the Braves at Wrigley Field, he stepped away to spend more time with his mother, Margaret, who had health issues.
“I cried a little bit after the game,” Piniella said that day. “You get emotional. I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be. This will be the last time I put on my uniform.”
It was the end of a distinguished career at the helm of five major-league clubs spanning several decades, but on Sunday, Piniella fell one vote shy of election into the Hall of Fame. The Contemporary Baseball Era Committee elected only former manager and White Sox coach Jim Leyland, who was named on 15 of the 16 ballots.
Eight managers, executives and umpires were on the ballot. Candidates needed 75% of the vote to be elected. Piniella received 11 votes in his third time on the ballot. He also fell one vote short in 2018.
By the time Piniella arrived in Chicago, he had built a legacy. The former rookie of the year, one-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion followed a successful playing career with a more notable managerial career. The three-time manager of the year was known for his passion and demonstrative ejections, and he won almost everywhere he went.
Piniella began with two winning seasons with the Yankees, plus another half-season interrupted by a stint as general manager. His next stop was Cincinnati, where he led the Reds to an improbable World Series victory in 1990. Piniella then spent a decade in Seattle, where he led the Mariners to their first playoff berth, plus three more.
In October 2006, Piniella joined the Cubs, who hoped he could spark a team that had missed the playoffs the previous three years. The Cubs went 316-293 under Piniella in three-plus seasons and made two trips to the National League Division Series, though they were swept both times.
Piniella might not have reached the same status in Chicago as he did in Seattle — where he’s regarded as a legend — but fans at the 2020 Cubs Convention reacted with raucous applause to the news that Piniella would be among Marquee Sports Network’s pool of analysts.
“I was a little concerned about how I’d be received by the people in Chicago because I left there at the end of August,” Piniella said when he popped in at spring training that year. “Because I didn’t finish my last season. I went home.”
He was thrilled to hear that fans received the news well.
“I almost cried,” he said.
