Mike Cubbage, a beloved figure in baseball with an eight-year major league career featuring teams like the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, and New York Mets, passed away on Saturday at the age of 74.
Cubbage was honored as a member of both the University of Virginia Baseball Hall of Fame and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. He excelled as an infielder at the University of Virginia before being drafted by the then-Washington Senators in 1971.
Throughout his career, Cubbage played in 703 major league games, achieving a batting average of .258, with 34 home runs and 251 RBIs. He had a memorable moment in July 1978 when he hit for the cycle while playing for the Twins, and he notably hit his 34th home run in his last at-bat.
We’re saddened to hear of the passing of UVA Baseball Hall of Famer, former big leaguer and Charlottesville legend, Mike Cubbage.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cubbage family. pic.twitter.com/hlzHeUOzp3
— Virginia Baseball (@UVABaseball) August 12, 2024
Even after concluding his playing career with the Mets in 1981, Cubbage remained devoted to baseball. He started managing the Little Falls Mets in 1983, moving up to manage the Lynchburg Mets in the following year, where he led the team to a league championship—a strong start to his lengthy coaching career.
Over the course of seven years (1983-89) in the Mets’ minor league system, Cubbage joined the major league coaching staff in 1990. Following a midseason change in management, he briefly took charge of the Mets late in the 1991 season, finishing with a record of 3-4.
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He continued coaching with the Mets until 1996 and later served as the third base coach for the Houston Astros from 1997 to 2000 and then their bench coach in 2001. After a brief stint back with the Astros as a Special Assistant to the GM, Cubbage joined the Boston Red Sox coaching staff in 2002, even stepping in as interim manager during spring training that year after a managerial change.
Cubbage later transitioned to scouting for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and held a special assignments role from 2011-2013. From 2015-2019, he served as a special assistant to Washington Nationals GM Mike Rizzo, ultimately winning a World Series ring with the Nationals in 2019.