Iowa History Daily: On April 2, 1970, baseball pitcher Jon Lieber was born in Council Bluffs. A standout at Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln and Iowa Western Community College, Lieber went on to an all-star career with five MLB teams.
Growing up in western Iowa, Lieber stood out as an all-city performer for Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln during his senior year despite only starting to pitch full-time as a junior. Pitching primarily in relief for the Reivers over the course of the following two seasons, Lieber signed with South Alabama after posting a 3.20 ERA for Iowa Western as a sophomore.
Lieber posted 12–5 records for South Alabama both of his years there, and he led the team in ERA and strikeouts both years. The Chicago Cubs drafted Lieber in the ninth round of the 1991 draft, but he did not sign. Drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the second round of the 1992 draft, Lieber started to work his way through the minor leagues.
Traded to the Pirates in 1993, Lieber made his MLB debut in Pittsburgh in May of 1994. Lieber went on to a long career playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1994–1998), Chicago Cubs (1999–2002 and 2008), New York Yankees (2004), and Philadelphia Phillies (2005–2007). In a 14-season career, Lieber compiled a 131–124 record with 1,553 strikeouts and a 4.27 ERA in 2,198 innings pitched. In 2001, Lieber made the MLB All-Star game as a Chicago Cub. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
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