CHICAGO – Over the course of his 16-year Major League Baseball career, including the start of it in Chicago, the pitcher had a few memorable moments that fans remember to this day.
Eight years after his retirement and 18 since his last season with the Cubs, Kyle Farnsworth is back in competition in a much different sport that has caused a buzz on social media.
On Tuesday, the former reliever posted a picture of himself on Twitter with a completely new muscular look and revealed that he is now involved in professional bodybuilding.
“Very rare gym bathroom selfie. 4 days out to my first body building competition. Classic Physique. These past few days have been fun with no carbs!” said Farnsworth on his post on Twitter.
It was the first time that Farnsworth has shown off his new bodybuilding look since beginning in the sport. Late in May, he did post a picture on Instagram announcing that he was approaching his first competition in the sport in Orlando.
This is not the first time that the former pitcher has taken on a new sport after the end of his baseball career having played a few seasons with the semi-pro Orlando Phantoms of the Florida Football Alliance as a defensive end.
Farnsworth pitched the first six of his 16 MLB seasons with the Cubs having been selected by the team in the 47th round of the 1994 MLB Draft. Making his debut in 1999 as a starter and then transitioning to a reliever, he would pitch for the Cubs until 2004, sporting a 4.78 ERA in 343 games.
He pitched his best with the Cubs in the 2001 season when he had a 2.74 ERA with a career-high 107 strikeouts for a team that was in the playoff hunt until the final weeks of the season. In the 2003 campaign, when the Cubs won the National League Central division title and came one game short of the World Series, Farnsworth had a 3.30 ERA with nine strikeouts.
Perhaps the most memorable moment from Farnsworth’s career came on June 19, 2003, when he was involved in a fight with the Reds’ Paul Wilson at Great American Ballpark. The Cubs’ pitcher threw inside on the Reds’ pitcher as he tried to bunt, and after a few words were exchanged, Farnsworth tackled Wilson before landing a few big punches before the benches cleared.
For his career, the reliever played with nine different teams and had a career ERA of 4.26 ERA with 43-66 record in 893 games.