Lidle came to the Durham Bulls to rehab his arm back in 1999 after shoulder surgery. Lidle played for two division-winning teams in 1999 and 2000, said Durham Bulls General Manager Mike Birling in a written statement early Wednesday evening.
In 1999, he was 0-0 pitching in 3 games. In 2000, he posted a 6-2 record with a 2.52 ERA in nine games as a starting pitcher, with 44 strikeouts in 50 innings pitched
The Durham Bulls organization remembered him as a talented young pitcher with a good attitude.
"He was talented and smart," Birling said to WRAL Wednesday evening.
Birling was the assistant general manager when Lidle played for the Bulls. He remembers Lidle was keenly aware of what the team meant to the community.
"Whenever we needed someone to sign autographs, he was the one to go to on that team," he said.
Birling said Lidle was his golfing buddy when he lived in the Triangle and played with the Bulls. Both he and Bulls' announcer Steve Barnes said they are especially sad for Lidle's wife and young son, who was born when he played for the Bulls in 1999.
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