Chicago Cubs pitcher Jon Lester is out for the season and will undergo ‘Tommy John’ elbow tendon surgery following a freak accident while touring Wrigley Field.
According to a report in the Chicago Lakeshore Times, the newly-acquired $155 million starter was visiting the new concession area at the ballpark when a giant steel beam fell in the vicinity of his group. Lester pushed his tour guide out of the way of the beam, saving her life but severely injuring his arm.
The 100-year-old ballpark is in the midst of a $500 million renovation project and has been a construction site since the last game of 2014.
"We heard a clink and looked up to see the metal pole crashing down towards us,” said Lester’s agent Seth Levinson. “Jon grabbed Ms. Bartman and pushed her out of the way.”
The steel beam hit the ace pitcher's elbow, tearing a tendon which will now need surgery. The procedure -- called Tommy John -- is named after the first pitcher to receive the surgery and requires a full year to recover and build up strength. While the surgery has become commonplace in the MLB, many say Lester's freak injury is another instance of the Cubs being cursed.
“He saved my life," says Susan Bartman, the newly-hired Wrigley Field tour guide. "The huge pole would have hit me in the head. Unfortunately, his elbow took the blunt force. But I can’t thank him enough.”
“Cubby occurrence” was a term coined by former manager Lou Piniella which described bizarre situations which have led to a 106-year World Series drought on the North Side of Chicago. “This is just one of those occurrences,” said Cubs President Theo Epstein. “I don’t know what to say. We have some good young players coming up and they’ll have to fill in for his talent.”
Back to the Future 1908
There is still hope among Cub fans. In the blockbuster film Back To The Future 2, Marty McFly travels to the year 2015 which had the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series. “Movies are right all the time,” said diehard Cubs fan Joe Wentworth. “I believe the movie’s prediction is accurate and the Cubs will win the World Series this year. They better win because my liver can’t handle too much more of this drinking.
“Either Way, the team will be better than years past, thank God.”
The Cubs have been cursed since tavern owner Billy Sianis goat was denied entrance to Wrigley Field because goats were not permitted in the stadium. He declared, “The Cubs will never win a World Series ever again. I curse, thee.”
Then in 1969, a black cat ran in front of the team’s dugout which caused a 12 game losing streak, causing the team to miss the playoffs by one game. In 2003, a die hard fan named Steve Bartman was wrongly accused of costing the Cubs the World Series after he slightly interfered with catching a foul ball.
Cubs owner Tom Ricketts told the Chicago Tribune, “I know bad stuff always happens to the Cubs, but in this case, Jon Lester saved a woman's life and that’s commendable. This act of courage and selflessness has officially reversed the Cubs curse. Also, the Back to the Future 2 thing can’t be wrong.”
