Cory Lidle was a P who played for the New York Yankees from 2006. Career stats: 4-3 record, 5.16 ERA, 32 strikeouts. Part of the Post-Dynasty (2002--2008) era.
Cory Lidle pitched ten games for the New York Yankees in 2006, then died four days after the season ended, when the single-engine plane he was flying crashed into a Manhattan high-rise. He was 34. There's no clever way into this one, and no reason to look for one -- this isn't a story about a guy who couldn't cut it in pinstripes or a trade that didn't work out. It's about a guy who'd finally landed somewhere good, and never got the chance to see what came next.
Path to the Bronx
Lidle's road to New York took the long way. He went undrafted out of high school (too small, scouts figured, at 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds), signed with the Twins as a free agent in 1990, got released less than three years later, and spent a season pitching independent ball for the Pocatello Posse in Idaho while bartending to get by. That's not a backstory you find in a lot of big-league bios. The Brewers eventually gave him another look, the Mets picked him up in a trade, and he finally debuted in the majors on May 8, 1997 -- five years after Minnesota decided he wasn't worth keeping.
From there it was a real journeyman's path: Devil Rays, Athletics, Blue Jays, Reds, two stints with the Phillies. His best year came with Oakland in 2001, when he went 13-6 with a 3.59 ERA and helped push the A's to the wild card. By 2006, he was 34 years old, sporting an 8-7 record and a 4.74 ERA for a Philadelphia team going nowhere, when the Yankees came calling at the deadline.
| Yankees Games | 10 (9 starts) |
| Record | 4-3 |
| ERA | 5.16 |
| Innings Pitched | 45.1 |
| Strikeouts | 32 |
| WHIP | 1.50 |
| Acquired | July 30, 2006, from Philadelphia |
On July 30, 2006, Brian Cashman sent a four-player package to the Phillies -- shortstop C.J. Henry, the Yankees' own first-round pick from 2005, along with lefty reliever Matt Smith, catcher Jesus Sanchez, and right-hander Carlos Monasterios -- to get Lidle and All-Star outfielder Bobby Abreu in the same deal. It was Abreu's bat that made headlines. Lidle was the rotation depth nobody expected to matter much, a guy who went 12-10 with a career-high 130 strikeouts across both teams that year without ever looking like more than a fourth or fifth starter.
A Short, Rough Ending
He wasn't great in the Bronx -- 4-3, a 5.16 ERA over nine starts, the kind of numbers that don't get remembered on their own. What got remembered was 2006's ending. The Yankees lost the ALDS to Detroit in four games, and Lidle -- pushed to the bullpen by then -- got rocked for three runs in 1.1 innings in the Game 4 blowout on October 7, the last outing of his career. Afterward, he told reporters the Tigers had simply been "more ready to play than we were," a line that landed as a shot at Joe Torre whether he meant it that way or not. He spent 14 minutes on WFAN's "Mike and the Mad Dog" a few days later insisting he hadn't meant it as a knock on his manager. Whatever the intent, it was a strange, tense note for a Yankees career to end on.
It wasn't the end of the story, though. It was four days from it.
October 11, 2006
Lidle had gotten his pilot's license that February, eight months before, and he'd been flying with instructor Tyler Stanger since the previous fall. On October 11, the two of them took a Cirrus SR20 up over the East River and attempted a 180-degree turn to head back down Manhattan's east side. The plane didn't complete it. Just after 2:40 in the afternoon, it struck the north face of the Belaire, a high-rise on East 72nd Street, roughly 30 stories up. Both men were killed. Twenty-one people on the ground and in the building were hurt, including eleven firefighters, but nobody in the Belaire died -- a detail that, in the moment, felt like the only mercy available. Federal investigators later found no mechanical failure. The NTSB's final report placed the cause on pilot error -- the turn attempted too tight, too late, without using the width of river they had to work with -- and couldn't even determine which man had the controls when it happened.
I go out to the mound and gave him the ball and I went out to the mound and took the ball away for the last time. We play a game and we think how important it is until you face something like this.
Signs with the Twins
Undrafted out of high school, Lidle signs as a free agent with Minnesota -- and gets released less than three years later.
MLB Debut
After independent ball and a trade to the Mets organization, Lidle makes his major league debut with New York -- five years after the Twins gave up on him.
Traded to the Yankees
Acquired from Philadelphia along with Bobby Abreu for a four-player prospect package headlined by shortstop C.J. Henry.
Final Game
Pitches 1.1 innings of relief in the Yankees' ALDS-ending Game 4 loss to Detroit -- the last appearance of his career.
Killed in a Plane Crash
Four days after the Yankees' season ends, Lidle's Cirrus SR20 crashes into a high-rise on Manhattan's Upper East Side, killing him and flight instructor Tyler Stanger.
What Was Left
Derek Jeter had only played alongside Lidle for a couple of months, and he said as much at the memorial service in California a week later. "It's rough," he said. "I feel for the family. I played with him a short time, but it didn't take long to see what kind of person he was." That's not a eulogy built on highlight reels or big moments -- Lidle didn't have many of those left in him by 2006. It's just what was true: a guy who'd clawed his way through seven organizations and a decade of professional baseball to get one real shot in pinstripes, and didn't get to see where it led.
He finished his career with an 82-72 record, a 4.57 ERA, and 838 strikeouts across ten big-league seasons. He left behind his wife, Melanie, and their son, Christopher. None of that fits neatly into a stat table, and it shouldn't have to.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Cory Lidle die?
Cory Lidle died on October 11, 2006, when the single-engine Cirrus SR20 he was piloting crashed into the Belaire, a high-rise apartment building on Manhattan's Upper East Side, while attempting a turn over the East River. His flight instructor, Tyler Stanger, also died. The NTSB attributed the crash to pilot error, with no mechanical failure found.
What team did Cory Lidle play for when he died?
Lidle was a pitcher for the New York Yankees at the time of his death. He'd been acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies on July 30, 2006, and made 10 appearances (9 starts) for New York that season before his death four days after the Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs.
Who did the Yankees trade for Cory Lidle?
On July 30, 2006, the Yankees acquired Cory Lidle and outfielder Bobby Abreu from the Phillies in exchange for four minor leaguers: shortstop C.J. Henry, left-handed reliever Matt Smith, catcher Jesus Sanchez, and right-hander Carlos Monasterios.
What were Cory Lidle's stats with the Yankees?
In 10 games (9 starts) for the Yankees in 2006, Lidle went 4-3 with a 5.16 ERA, 45.1 innings pitched, 32 strikeouts, and a 1.50 WHIP. He also made one relief appearance in the 2006 ALDS, allowing 3 earned runs in 1.1 innings.
Who was Tyler Stanger?
Tyler Stanger was Cory Lidle's flight instructor, a 26-year-old commercial pilot who ran a flight school in La Verne, California. He was aboard the plane with Lidle on October 11, 2006, and died in the same crash.
Career Stats
Regular Season
| Year | G | GS | W | L | SV | IP | H | ER | K | BB | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 45.1 | 49 | 26 | 32 | 19 | 5.16 | 1.50 |
| Career | 10 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 45.1 | 49 | 26 | 32 | 19 | 5.16 | 1.50 |
Career-best seasons highlighted in gold. Stats via Retrosheet.
Postseason
| Year | G | GS | W | L | SV | IP | H | ER | K | BB | ERA | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 1 | -- | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 20.25 | -- |
| Career | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 |