R.I.P - Charlie Lea - 12/25/1956 - 11/11/2011

Another one of our cardboard heroes has left us. This is the second member of my Montreal Expos (Dick Williams) to pass on this year.  In 1981 Charlie Lea was a 24 year old youngster trying to break into the starting rotation.  The next 3 season would see him elevate his game to All-Star level, but then it all came tumbling down in the form of arm and shoulder injuries.  Lea didn't quit.  He battled through it and even spent time in the minors trying to find that yellow brick road back to Oz.  After 3 years of basically being away from the majors he made it back for one last shot with the Twins.  The numbers weren't great, but he made it back to "the show".  After the season he realized that the injuries had taken it's toll and it was time to move on.

May 10th, 1981 was the day the baseball world began to talk about Charlie Lea.  On that day he pitched a no-hitter vs the San Francisco Giants.  Prior to that game Lea's ERA hovered around 8.00 and there was a good chance he might have punched his ticket back to Triple A.  That win made him feel like he belonged.  He finished the strike season at 5-4 and after that became a top tier pitcher in the Expos rotation for the next 3 seasons.

Lea went to high school in Memphis, played baseball at Memphis State and pitched for Memphis in the late 1970s when it was Montreal's Class AA minor league affiliate. Though he worked in broadcasting as an analyst since 2002, Lee had been considering getting closer to the game, perhaps as a pitching coach.  He was born in Orleans, France and when he played for the Expos most fans assumed he was a Quebecois.

In a seven-season career, Lea posted a 62-48 record with 535 strikeouts and a 3,54 ERA in 923.1 innings. He added 22 complete games and eight shutouts in 152 games pitched (144 as a starter).

Lea was inducted to the Tennessee Sports of Hall of Fame in 1999.

Lea passed away on Friday, November 11, 2011 of a sudden heart attack.  He was 54 years young.