Photo by CHET GORDON/ GANNETT NEWS SERVICE: Atlanta Braves pinch hitter Mark Lemke (#20) driving a single to centerfield against the NY Mets in the top of the 10th. inning at Shea Stadium in New York, on Sept. 14, 1996.

Quick BIO

Height: 5ft 9in
Birthdate: Aug. 13, 1965
Birthplace: Utica, NY
Rookie Year: 1988
Bats: Both
Throws: Right

End of the line for Mark Lemke?
July 19, 2000

From staff reports

Whitesboro native Mark Lemke was released on June 20th from the New Jersey Jackals. It had been one year prior to being let go by the independent Northern League team, that Lemke embarked on a comeback attempt as a knuckleball pitcher.
It was a comeback made necessary due to an unfortunate baseline collision in May 1998, which effectively knocked Lemke out of the major leagues. Lemke suffered a concussion after Chicago White Sox runner Chad Kreuter smashed into him while he was trying to turn a double-play from his second base position for the Boston Red Sox.

Post-concussion symptoms hampered Lemke so much that he was unable to return in ’98, and he was left on the free agent heap as clubs opened the ’99 season. It was at that point when the man known as “Dirt” for his hard-nosed play, decided to go for his dream. He wasn’t ready to leave baseball and had always wanted to be a pitcher.
“As far as dreams go,” Lemke said early during his comeback, “there are times when we end them before we allow them to develop. ... I don’t think you really should give up the dream until you’re really sure it’s over.”

Well it looks like it might be over this time for Lemke — at least as a player. He was released after encountering mediocre success on the mound and several trips to the disabled list — for a sore arm and an injured oblique muscle. The Jackals said Lemke has returned to his home in the Atlanta area.

Lemke, who also was working as an infield coach during his stint with the Jackals, was 5-1 with a 6.68 earned run average in 1999 with the Jackals. He was 0-1 in his lone start this year, with a 27.00 ERA, after lasting just 2 2/3 innings. He will be 35 on August 13.

Lemke hit .246 in a 1,069-game, 11-year career, and played in 62 postseason games. He won a World Series ring with the Braves in 1995, beating the Cleveland Indians.

The 1983 Notre Dame graduate was inducted into the Notre Dame High School’s Sports Hall of Fame in January ’99.

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