John Peter Cusick (June 12, 1928 - November 17, 1989) was a right-handed

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

for the Chicago Cubs and Boston Braves. Signed as an amateur

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

out of high school by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1946, Cusick was assigned to the Americus Phillies, a class D ballclub. From 1946 through 1948, he toiled in the lower levels of Philadelphia's farm system before being drafted by the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

in the 1948 minor league draft. Cusick was assigned to the AA level in both 1949 and 1950, but the Cardinals released him mid-1950 and he was signed by the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

. After he spent just a portion of one season in the Yankees' organization, the Cubs drafted Cusick from the Yankees in the 1950 Rule 5 draft, and he opened the 1951 season on a major league roster for the first time, as the Cubs' backup shortstop. Cusick made his major league debut in the Cubs' sixth game, April 24, going 0-for-1 against

Bill Werle William George Werle (December 21, 1920 – November 27, 2010) was a left-handed major league baseball pitcher from Oakland, California. He pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox from 1949 to 1954. His nicknam ...

of the Pittsburgh Pirates, but got his first major league hit in his next game, an RBI double off Kurt Krieger of St. Louis. From that point until early July, Cusick served as the team's everyday shortstop. His first major league

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

came in the second game of a May 13 doubleheader against Piitsburgh, off Pirates starter

Murry Dickson Murry Monroe Dickson (August 21, 1916 – September 21, 1989) was an American professional baseball right-handed pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) during the 1940s and 1950s. He was known for his vast array of pitches and del ...

. The second came just five days later, a

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

off Phillies reliever Ken Johnson. It would be his last. Cusick struggled to maintain a decent batting average and lost his starting job, though he remained with the team all season. He appeared in only 8 games after July 18, starting just once. After the season, the Cubs shipped Cusick to the Boston Braves in exchange for

Bob Addis Robert Gordon Addis (November 6, 1925 – November 15, 2016) was an American professional baseball player. The outfielder appeared in 208 Major League Baseball games over four seasons (1950–53) for three National League teams. He threw right-ha ...

. Boston gave Cusick a new opportunity to be a starting shortstop, as he started most of their first 26 games. Batting just .161 after their May 17 game, Cusick lost his job to Johnny Logan. Still, he stayed with the big league club, appearing in 25 more games that season, but made just seven appearances in the field, finding himself largely relegated to a pinch-hitter/pinch-runner role. Cusick's final major league hit came August 30, a single off

Andy Hansen Andrew Viggo Hansen, Jr. (November 12, 1924 – February 2, 2002), nicknamed "Swede", was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. In a nine-season career, he played for the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies. Hansen was off ...

. Cusick found himself jobless in baseball after the 1952 season and subsequently retired. He died November 17, 1989 in Englewood, New Jersey and is buried in George Washington Memorial Park (Paramus, New Jersey).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cusick, Jack Major League Baseball shortstops Chicago Cubs players Boston Braves players Americus Phillies players Wilmington Blue Rocks (1940–1952) players Portland (NEL) baseball players Houston Buffaloes players Beaumont Roughnecks players Baseball players from New Jersey 1989 deaths 1928 births People from Weehawken, New Jersey Sportspeople from Hudson County, New Jersey Burials at George Washington Memorial Park (Paramus, New Jersey)