The Legends Classic III is just five weeks away on May 25th, and the Lucky Horseshoes are excited to announce seven additional former St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs that will be participating in the game.
For the Cubs, pitchers Randy Wells and Neal Cotts have joined the roster and will suit up for this exciting exhibition game.
Wells, a Belleville, Illinois native, pitched five seasons with the Chicago Cubs and appeared in nearly 100 games including 86 starts. In 2009, the 41-year-old finished in the top-10 in ERA and hits allowed.
Cotts played a total of 10 years in the Majors and won a World Series Championship in 2005 with the Chicago White Sox. Alongside the Cubs & White Sox, Cotts spent time with the Rangers, Twins and Brewers from 2003 through 2015. The southpaw is originally from Lebanon, IL and played collegiately at Illinois State.
The St. Louis Cardinals roster will be bolstered with an additional five former Major Leagues as they look to avenge 2023’s defeat. Former Red Birds taking their talents to Springfield include Jason Simontacchi, Alan Benes, Bo Hart, Cliff Politte, and Bryan Eversgerd.
Simtonacchi played for the Cardinals from 2002 through 2004 before concluding his career in 2007 with the Washington Nationals. He was named NL Rookie of the Month during the 2002 campaign and finished ninth in Rookie of the Year voting after posting an 11-5 record.
Benes, a first round selection by the Cardinals in 1993, pitched for both the Cardinals & Cubs, spending 1995 through 2001 in The Lou and the 2002 and 2003 seasons in Chicago’s North Side.
Hart was drafted by the Cardinals in 1999 and made it to the Major Leagues despite being a 33rd round draft pick. The Gonzaga alum played in 88 total games between 2003 and 2004 and additionally spent time in the Cubs minor league system at the tail-end of his career.
Politte, selected by the Cardinals in 1995, played nine total seasons in the MLB from 1998 through 2006 and pitched over 400 innings. The Kirkwood, Missouri native was a member of the 2005 World Series Champion Chicago White Sox and made three appearances in the Fall Classic against Houston.
Concluding the additions is Centralia, Illinois native Bryan Eversgerd. The 55-year-old played four seasons, including 1994 and 1998 with the Cardinals. Post retirement, Eversgerd remained in the Cardinals system as a coach from 2001 through 2017 when he was promoted to the St. Louis Cardinals as the Bullpen Coach, a role in which he remained until 2022.
These additions will join a star-studded roster that already includes the likes of Brian Jordan, Tom Herr, Scott Spiezio, Carlos Marmol, Justin Grimm, Darwin Barney, and Pedro Strop.
VIP Meet and Greet tickets are still available, and include access to all of the legends in attendance from both teams. Tickets are on sale now at Tickets.Shoesbaseball.com
