Tangential Hall of Famers

I played this Sporcle quiz about Cubs Hall of Famers and was surprised at the number of players who were more closely associated with other teams but had short stints with the Cubs, like Jimmie Foxx, Dizzy Dean and Robin Roberts. But the two that stuck out were Tony LaRussa and Hoyt Wilhelm.

The Cubs signed Hoyt Wilhelm off of waivers from Atlanta on September 21, 1970 and he appeared in three games for the Cubs. In his 3.2 innings, Wilhelm pitched unspectacularly and was traded back to the Braves after the season ended. But, nonetheless, he was a Cub and is in the Hall of Fame.

Inducted as a manager, LaRussa appeared in a single game for the 1973 Cubs as a pinch runner, scoring the winning run on a bases loaded walk.

Naturally, I began to wonder which Hall of Famers had the shortest stints with a team. Here is what I found, looking only at those inducted as players and limiting the list to five games or less:

That’s a lot of short stints!