In , he was signed by the St. Louis Browns to be the team's player-manager. His time was cut short when after 23 games, the team had only won six of them. The final straw came after a home loss, and Stricker jumped into the stands and punched a fan who had been heckling the team. He was traded soon after to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for Pud Galvin. Cub did not play a game for the Pirates, as he was traded again, three days later to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Adonis Terry.
