The Cubs’ Mark Leiter Jr. throws a pitch against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on April 13, 2024 in Seattle.
Alika Jenner/Getty Images
Cubs reliever Mark Leiter Jr. got to congratulate his cousin Jack Leiter a couple days before he debuted. And on Thursday, as Jack took the mound for the Rangers, the Leiter family made history.
The elder Mark Leiter and his brother Al became the first pair of MLB siblings to each have sons play in the major leagues.
“I know that they’re both extremely proud,” Mark Leiter Jr. said in a conversation with the Sun-Times Thursday before the Cubs’ game against the Marlins was rained out. “I know our whole family was proud of what they accomplished in their own right. It’s amazing because it’s a privilege to get a chance to do this, it’s an honor to just make it to the major leagues,and then to kind of make it a tradition in our family is pretty insane, to be honest with you. It’s a major blessing.”
Leiter made his own debut in 2017 with the Phillies. He’s held various pitching roles since then – starter, multi-inning reliever – but with the Cubs has settled into a high-leverage role.
So, did he give Jack any advice going into his debut?
“I try to stay out of his way, but I couldn’t help myself to say at least a couple of little things,” Mark Leiter Jr. said. “Just kind of keep it light with him and just let him know how proud we all are of him and how happy we are.”
Mark Leiter Jr. is about nine years older than Jack, who turns 24 this weekend. After the Rangers drafted him No. 2 overall in 2021, Jack had his ups and downs in the minors. Now he’s the Rangers’ No. 7 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
“He was always a little kid for me,” Mark said, “and just to see the person that he became, and just the player that he’s built himself into – everybody sees he’s a second overall pick, but he’s really worked hard to get to that opportunity.
“He wasn’t crazy touted until late. He really, really worked hard to become as good as he is. And I’m proud of him. I’m happy for him. And to get to live out your dream – no matter what your dream is – to actually accomplish it is a special feeling that, unfortunately, not everybody gets to feel. So when you do have an opportunity to feel like you’re fulfilling a dream, it’s good to not get lost on how special that is.”
In the Rangers’ 9-7 win against the Tigers on Thursday, Jack allowed seven runs in 3 ⅔ innings. As Cubs manager Craig Counsell often points out, failure is the norm as players transition to the majors. Jack Leiter will get plenty more opportunities.
Meanwhile, Mark Leiter Jr. still holds a pristine 0.00 ERA nine appearances into the season. His splitter, a pitch he inherited from his dad, has a 65.4% whiff rate. It’s a small sample, but that’s up from 48.2% last year.
“I think we get ourselves in trouble when we chase whiff too much,” Leiter said. “So it’s just something that you’ve got to navigate and use to your advantage, but at the end of the day, my job is to come in and get outs. So, however I can get those outs is what my goal is for that day.”
That mentality is something he honed in on over the offseason, along with cleaning up his mechanics. It’s something that shows up in his sequencing.
“What that means is taking the outs when you have a chance at them,” he said, “and not being afraid to let a bunch of Gold Glove defenders help you out behind you.”
He took it to an extreme Sunday in Seattle, when he recorded three outs in just two pitches.
He entered the seventh inning with runners on first and second and no outs. With his first pitch, Leiter induced a fly out. With his second pitch, he got a double play.
“I mean, he’s the Leit show,” closer Adbert Alzolay said after the Cubs’ 3-2 win that day. “Everything comes down to being mentally prepared and mentally ready there. So I just feel like he had a plan, he went out there, he executed his plan, and it worked out perfectly for us.”