Mark's meteoric rise to the big leagues was completed on May 22, 2002 when he
made his major-league debut with a magical 10-strikeout performance. He threw
six 10-strikeout games, striking out 11.34 batters per nine innings, second in
the National League behind only Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Mark
finished his rookie season at 6-6 with a 3.32 ERA. He had 147 strikeouts in only
116.1 innings pitched.
Mark was the second overall pick in the 2001 draft. As a collegiate star at
USC, Mark enjoyed one of the greatest seasons ever for a college pitcher, going
15-1 with a 1.69 ERA. He struck out 202 batters in just 138.2 innings. In two
seasons at USC was 25-8. Mark has a mid-90s fastball to go along with a hard
curve ball and outstanding control. His rookie season ended early with a
hamstring injury, but the Cubs expect the 23-year-old back healthy and to be a
key anchor of their pitching rotation.