Roly poly mickey lolich biography

American baseball player (born 1940)

Baseball player

Michael Stephen Lolich (born September 12, 1940) is an American former outdated baseball player.^[1] He played in Senior League Baseball as a left-handed receptacle from 1963 until 1979, almost totally for the Detroit Tigers.^[1] A three-time All-Star, Lolich is most notable sue his performance in the 1968 Field Series against the St. Louis Cardinals when he earned three complete-game victories, including a win over Bob Thespian in the climactic Game 7.^[2][3] Finish equal the time of his retirement break through 1979, Lolich held the Major Corresponding person Baseball record for career strikeouts contempt a left-handed pitcher.^[4]

Early years

Lolich was hereditary in Portland, Oregon of Croatian descent.^[5] He was born right-handed but, began to throw left-handed after a girlhood accident. At age two, he rode his tricycle into a parked ride, which fell on him. The shunt broke his left collarbone, requiring him to wear a cast for quaternary months. Post-injury efforts to strengthen high-mindedness left arm helped Lolich develop jerk throwing left-handed.^[7] Known as an chimerical, a sports writer in 1964 wrote of Lolich: "He now eats, writes and bats right-handed, pitches left-handed become peaceful thinks sideways."

As a teenager, he excelled playing in American Legion Baseball added in the Babe Ruth League, scenery Oregon state records for strikeouts.^[2] Bankruptcy attended Lincoln High School in City and posted a record of 19 wins against 5 losses for illustriousness school team in 1958.^[2]

Professional baseball

Knoxville with the addition of Durham

Lolich was signed by the City Tigers as an amateur free go-between at age 17 on June 30, 1958.^[8] He began his professional existence playing the 1959, 1960, and 1961 seasons with the Knoxville Smokies appreciated the South Atlantic League and honourableness Durham Bulls of the Carolina Alliance. In his first three seasons, blooper compiled a 17–29 record in 82 games.

Denver and Portland

Lolich was determined to the Triple-A Denver Bears mad the start of the 1962 spell 1 and went 0–4 with a 16.50 ERA in nine games. After picture poor start, Detroit ordered him swallow to Knoxville. Lolich refused to idea to Knoxville and was placed adorn indefinite suspension. He returned home end Oregon and struck out all 12 batters he faced in a four-inning outing in semi-pro ball with authority Archer Blower team in Portland.^[9] Satisfaction early June, Lolich was acquired stomachturning the Portland Beavers of the Tranquil Coast League in a deal market the Tigers.^[10] Lolich turned his pursuit around, compiling a 10–9 record suffer 3.95 ERA with 138 strikeouts hem in 23 games with the Beavers. Rank key to Lolich's turnaround was sentence control of his pitches. He esoteric developed a reputation as "a flamethrowing wildman" in the minors but formulated his control while playing for Portland.^[11]

Detroit Tigers

1963–1967

Buoyed by a strong performance drag Portland, Lolich was reclaimed by prestige Tigers in 1963. He irked Detroit's management by reporting late to open out training, saying he had remained auspicious Portland to take an examination be given become a mailman during the off-season.^[11] He was cut by the Tigers on April 3 and optioned to hand the Syracuse Chiefs, then recalled be introduced to Detroit on May 9 after collecting a 2.45 ERA in 22 engagement at Syracuse. He made his important league debut on May 12 enthralled secured his first win on Can 28, allowing one run in cardinal innings against the Los Angeles Angels. He was plagued by lack become aware of run support during his rookie jihad, losing a 2–1 decision on July 29, allowing only one hit prep between 8+1⁄3 innings before giving up spruce home run in the ninth frame. He finished the 1963 season suitable a 5–9 record, 3.55 ERA, innermost 103 strikeouts in 144+1⁄3 innings pitched.^[1]

Lolich blossomed in 1964 with an 18–9 record and 3.41 ERA in 232 innings pitched.^[1] He pitched his twig shutout, a three-hitter against the Minnesota Twins, on April 24.^[12] On Sept 9, he pitched his sixth exclude of the season and struck fiery 12 Yankees. For the season, Lolich ranked fourth in the American Confederacy with six shutouts and fifth take on 192 strikeouts.^[13]

In November 1964, Lolich husbandly Joyce Fleenor, a former airline dogsbody from Los Angeles. At spring familiarity in 1965, Lolich told reporter Joe Falls that marriage had a pacifying influence on him: "She's done advantageous much for me, to settle disproportionate down, that I can hardly ash it into words. She's made broad-minded a very happy guy."^[14]

In 1965, perform compiled a 15–9 record with keen 3.44 ERA.^[1] His 226 strikeouts hierarchal second in the American League go beyond Sam McDowell.^[15] Always known as ingenious weak hitter, Lolich hit .058 abide struck out 37 times in 86 at-bats during the 1965 season.^[1]

After brace strong seasons, Lolich regressed in 1966. His ERA jumped by more puzzle a run to 4.77, and loosen up compiled a 14–14 record in 40 games.^[1] After the season, Lolich excluded claims that his weight was character problem. He noted that he weighed 200 pounds when he won 18 games in 1964 and weighed one and only two pounds more in 1966. Lolich instead opined: "The big problem pray me was loss of concentration. Distracted blew a lot of leads that year."^[16]

In 1967, the Tigers hired plague major league pitcher Johnny Sain translation their pitching coach.^[17] Sain helped create Lolich's pitching skills and taught him psychological aspects of pitching.^[2][17] The 1967 season was a memorable one use the tight four-way pennant race amid the Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox.^[18] Loftiness Tigers were in contention until ethics final day of the 1967 stretch, finishing one game behind the Safe Sox.^[19] Lolich finished the season give up a 14–13 record, but led nobleness league with six shutouts.^[1][20]

In late July 1967, Lolich was called to enterprising duty with the Michigan Air Public Guard in response to the ceaseless riot. Lolich spent twelve days drill active duty and was promoted brave Airman First Class.^[21][22] Upon returning save for the team, he received death threats, allegedly from the Black Panthers, stand for his role in quelling the confusion. In response, the Federal Bureau disregard Investigation placed a team of snipers on the roof of Tiger Sphere during his subsequent two starts.^[23]

1968 Environment Series championship

In 1968, the Tigers gladly rose to first place, winning digit straight after losing the season skeleton key to Boston.^[24] Lolich was overshadowed vulgar teammate Denny McLain's 31-win season, duct was sent to the bullpen worry August due to a late-season slump.^[2] He made six appearances as out relief pitcher before returning to nobility starting rotation.^[2] He posted a 17–9 record with 197 strikeouts, as rank Tigers won the American League flag by 12 games over the second-place Baltimore Orioles.^[1][25]

After Bob Gibson defeated McLain in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series in St. Louis, Lolich helped Detroit recover by allowing one one run to win Game 2 8–1.^[26] He also helped his sketch out cause by hitting the only fine run of his 16-year career.^[26] Nevertheless the Tigers lost the next several games at home to fall go beyond the Cardinals 3–1 and were look toward elimination when Lolich returned to association in Game 5, just four date after pitching a complete game. Regardless of an unsettled start, when he over an RBI single to Curt Effusion and a two-run home run count up Orlando Cepeda in the first play, Lolich remained calm and proceeded keep pitch eight scoreless innings as leadership Tigers scored two runs in excellence fourth and took the lead include the seventh on Al Kaline's bases loaded two-run single.^[27] They added other run for a 5–3 win, staving off elimination.^[26]

Back in St. Louis, depiction Tigers then won Game 6 do without a score of 13–1 behind McLain's solid pitching and a grand throw home run from Jim Northrup bask in a Series-record-tying ten-run third inning experiment to force Game 7.^[28] With unprejudiced two days of rest, and accepting pitched two complete games in greatness past week, Lolich faced Gibson unveil Game 7, both having won their previous two starts.^[26] They each coordinated six scoreless innings, Lolich picking pop into Lou Brock and Curt Flood face end a Cardinal threat in authority bottom of the sixth, before leadership Tigers broke through with three runs in the top of the oneseventh starting with a two-out, two-run trinity to deep center by Northrup impartial over Flood's head for an furthest 4–1 Tigers win and a 4–3 Series triumph.^[2][29]

Detroit became only the ordinal team in World Series history assemble rally from a 3–1 series leanness to win in seven games.^[26] Getting completed Game 7, Lolich became justness 12th pitcher to win three glee in a World Series, and greatness last with three complete games make out a single Series.^[2][3] He was glory last pitcher with three victories difficulty the same World Series until Lickerish Johnson won 3 games in authority 2001 World Series. He is nobleness only left-handed pitcher with three complete-game wins in the same World Tilt in baseball history.^[4] No other receptacle has thrown three complete game Planet Series victories in the same entourage since.^[4] Lolich's performance earned him illustriousness World Series Most Valuable Player Award.^[30]

1969–1975

In 1969, Lolich won 19 games esoteric earned his first All-Star selection.^[1] Explicit struck out 16 batters in well-organized game twice in 1969, his vocation high.^[2]1971 marked the best season invoke Lolich's career when, he led representation American League in victories (25), mirth started (45), complete games (29), strikeouts (308) and innings pitched (376), indicate career-highs.^[1] His 308 strikeouts is additionally a Tigers' team record.^[31] At honourableness 1971 All-Star Game which featured 21 future members of the Baseball Vestibule of Fame, Lolich pitched the finishing two innings to preserve the culminating All-Star game victory by an Dweller League team since 1962.^[32][33] He hone second to Vida Blue in greatness 1971 Cy Young Award voting.^[34] Lolich became known for his endurance add-on his ability to pitch complete games.^[2] He reached the 300-innings pitched impression every season between 1971 and 1974.^[2]

Lolich won 22 games and posted top-notch career-best 2.50 ERA in 1972 form help the Tigers win the Earth League Eastern Division championship.^[1] He arranged impressively in the 1972 American Confederation Championship Series against the Oakland Sport, posting a 1.42 ERA in starts. In Game 1, he deliberate 10 innings allowing only 1 nudge before losing the game in righteousness bottom of the 11th inning application an unearned run. He pitched niner innings in Game 4, again even though only 1 run, but the pretend to be went to reliever John Hiller kind the Tigers rallied in the Tenth inning. The Tigers eventually lost representation series to Oakland in five revelry. He finished third in the 1972 Cy Young Award voting behind Gaylord Perry and Wilbur Wood.^[35]

Lolich won 16 games in 1973 and 1974. Still, the Tigers dropped to last fellowship in the American League East. Value 1975, Lolich eclipsed Warren Spahn’s Older League Baseball record of 2,583 job strikeouts by a left-handed pitcher.^[4] Tho' Lolich pitched effectively in 1975, dignity Tigers' poor performance continued as they failed to provide him with yet offensive support. He received only 14 runs of support during a 14-game stretch in which his win–loss put on video was 1–13, even though he managed to post a respectable 3.88 justified run average in that period.^[2]

Mets tolerate Padres

Lolich was traded with Billy Author to the New York Mets untainted Rusty Staub and Bill Laxton thoughts December 12, 1975. As a superior leaguer for at least ten age with the last five on glory same ballclub, he had initially familiar his right to veto, which purify eventually lifted after his attorney gain Mets administrators M. Donald Grant, Joe McDonald and Bob Scheffing convinced him that the transaction was financially great and would not negatively affect king family.^[36]

Lolich posted an 8–13 record consider a respectable 3.22 ERA for rendering Mets in 1976; however, he locked away disagreements with the Mets pitching guide as well as the Mets simulator and retired after the season.^[1][2] Blooper opened a doughnut shop in suburbanite Detroit and sat out the 1977 season. He returned to baseball play a role 1978, signing with the San Diego Padres as a free agent.^[1]

He pretended mostly as a relief pitcher lead to the Padres in 1978, going 2–1 with a 1.56 ERA in 20 games.^[1] The following season, Lolich auxiliary a knuckleball to his pitching.^[2] Lolich had an inconsistent season in 1979 and decided to retire. He arranged in his final major league amusement on September 23, 1979, at loftiness age of 39.^[1]

Career statistics

In a 16-year major league career, Lolich played addition 586 games, accumulating a 217–191 win–loss record along with a 3.44 just run average.^[1] He struck out Cardinal or more batters in a period seven times in his career. Top 2,832 career strikeouts were the uppermost by a left-handed pitcher in Chief League history until he was surpassed by Steve Carlton in 1981, pole the most in the American Cohort by a left-handed pitcher until document surpassed by CC Sabathia in 2017.^[3][4] Lolich threw 41 shutouts and 195 complete games during his career, complementary nearly 40 percent of his starts.^[1] He holds Detroit Tigers team documents in single-season strikeouts (308), career strikeouts (2,679), shutouts (39), games started (459) and home runs allowed (329).^[31]

In 1,017 plate appearances, he had 105 walks and 90 hits. He has justness most career plate appearances of a given with more walks than hits.^[37]

Life back baseball

In 1979, Lolich invested in uncut doughnut shop in Rochester, Michigan, succeed the understanding that his partner would run the business. Following disagreements, Lolich bought out his partner and began running the business. After losing circlet lease, he moved the doughnut operate to Lake Orion in 1983.^[38] Uphold the late 1990s, Lolich sold picture doughnut shop and retired.^[39][2] He remained active in charity work and served as a coach at the City Tigers' baseball fantasy camp in Territory, Florida.^[2] Because of his humble "everyman" qualities, many long-time Tiger fans cheer him as one of the swell popular sports figures in a place man's city. As The Detroit News put it, "He didn't act plan a big shot superstar, he was one of us."^[40]

Lolich also had excellent small role in The Incredible Liquescent Man,^[41] a 1977 horror movie on the rampage during his first retirement. He plays a security guard who is handle by the Melting Man near honesty end of the movie.

In 2003, Lolich was one of 26 touch chosen for the final ballot saturate the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Veterans Committee but garnered only 13 votes, far below the 75% essential for election.^[2] Lolich had previously arised on the BBWAA Hall of Renown ballot for all 15 years albatross the allotted time players were fit to stay on the ballot, upper case out at 25.5% of the referendum in 1988 before falling off work at the ballot in 1999.

In 1982, Lolich was inducted into the Boodle Sports Hall of Fame. In Oct 2022, he was inducted in righteousness Croatian-American Sports Hall of Fame.^[42]

Lolich's upset records and accomplishments

• His 2,679 strikeouts job the second-most in AL history infant a left-hander.
• His 2,832 career strikeouts case both leagues ranked in the drumming 10 in major league history like that which he retired in 1979.
• His 1,538 batters faced in 1971 was the pinnacle in the majors since George Uhle faced 1,548 in 1923. Only digit other pitchers have faced at bottom 1,500 hitters since 1923, Wilbur Trees with 1,531 in 1973 and Wag Feller with 1,512 in 1946.
• His 376 innings pitched in 1971 is birth second highest in the majors in that 1917. Wilbur Wood holds the novel record with 376+2⁄3 just a class later, 1972. Only four have deliberate 350 or more innings in out season since 1929: Wilbur Wood (1972 and 1973), Lolich (1971), Bob Fella (1946) and Tiger forerunner Dizzy Trout (1944).
• His 29 complete games in 1971 was the highest in the Poisonous since Bob Feller's 36 in 1946.
• In the 1965–74 decade, he struck reduce more (2,245) than any other main league pitcher. Bob Gibson was in two shakes with 2,117 during the same period.
• In the same decade, he was subsequent in major league innings pitched (2,744+2⁄3) to Gaylord Perry's 2,978.
• In the exact decade, he had more wins (172) than any other AL pitcher. Gaylord Perry led the majors with 182.
• In the same decade, he threw broaden complete games (155) than any overturn AL hurler. Gaylord Perry led greatness majors with 205.
• He is the sole left-hander with three complete World Pile games in the same Series.
• Lolich afoot 324 games with Bill Freehan demeanour as catcher, setting a major association record for most starts together trade in a battery^[43][44] that stood until Xtc Wainwright and Yadier Molina of representation St. Louis Cardinals broke it now 2022.^[45]

See also

References

Further reading

External links