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Cory LidleAmerican baseball pitcher
Date of Birth: 22.03.1972
Country:  USA |
Content:
Early Life and Career
Cory Fulton Lidle, a descendant of steamboat inventor Robert Fulton, was born on March 22, 1972, in Hollywood, California. He signed with the Minnesota Twins in 1990 and later joined the Milwaukee Brewers. In 1996, Lidle was traded to the New York Mets and made his major league debut on May 8, 1997.
MLB Career
As a relief pitcher, Lidle participated in baseball's eighth work stoppage in 1994, which made him ineligible for the MLB Players Association. He subsequently played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Cincinnati Reds, and Philadelphia Phillies. Lidle's best season came in 2001 with the Athletics, when he went 13-6 with a 3.59 ERA, ranking tenth in the American League.
Nickname and Personal Quirks
Known for his love of unhealthy foods, Lidle earned the nickname "Snacks." He was often referred to as a "chowhound."
New York Yankees
On July 30, 2006, Lidle and outfielder Bobby Abreu were traded from the Phillies to the New York Yankees. In his first start for New York, he pitched six shutout innings, helping his team to an 8-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. In his final game (2006 ALDS) with the Yankees against the Detroit Tigers, Lidle allowed three runs on four hits over 1.1 innings, as his team lost 8-3.
Tragic Death
On October 11, 2006, a single-engine Cirrus SR20 airplane crashed into a high-rise apartment building on New York City's Upper East Side. Lidle, allegedly at the controls without a pilot's license, died in the crash. Reports vary, but estimates suggest four people were killed (two aboard, two in the building) and 21 injured, half of whom were New York City firefighters. The plane had taken off from Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and circled the Statue of Liberty twice before flying up the East River. It reportedly lost radar contact near the Queensboro Bridge and crashed north of 72nd Street while attempting a turn.
On May 1, 2007, the National Transportation Safety Board ruled that the crash was caused by pilot error, but could not definitively say who was flying at the time. Lidle became the third Yankees player to die in an airplane crash, joining catcher Thurman Munson (1979) and pitcher Jim Hardin (1991). In an interview shortly before his death, Lidle had mentioned players-pilots like Munson, stating that his plane was safer due to the Cirrus Aircraft parachute system. However, this provided minimal protection against the type of crash he experienced.
Legacy
Yankees owner George Steinbrenner described Lidle's death as "a terrible, shocking tragedy that has stunned the entire Yankee organization" and extended condolences to Lidle's wife and 6-year-old son. A baseball field at Cortez Park in West Covina, California, was named Cory Lidle Field in his memory.
