The Cubs picked up Kent Bottenfield as a free agent before the 1996 season. He had three previous years in the big leagues without much success as a starter for the Expos, Rockies and Giants.
The Cubs put him in the bullpen and he was reasonably good for two years in blue pinstripes, overall posting a 3.34 ERA, 1.339 WHIP and 1.3 bWAR in 112 relief appearances — no starts.
It’s in that context that we see the lousy 1997 Cubs play the even-worse 1997 Phillies on the Fourth of July. The Cubs came into the game with a 35-49 record.