Orioles pitching great Mike Cuellar dies at 72

The Baltimore Sun ^ | 4/2/2010 | PallMal

[Vigilanteman]

Even more amazing is that the only other team to have four 20 win pitchers was the 1920 Chicago White Sox, just before eight of them would be banned for life for the 1919 World Series fix.

I think your right-- it won't happen again.

[GnL]

Damn. RIP, Mike. I’m sure someone is now going to tell me that they tore down Memorial Stadium.

[Mr. Mojo]

Yep. Too many relief specialists these days. ...and too many managers who get nervous when their starters throw more than 90 pitches or go on anything less than 5 days rest. We’ve seen the last of the multiple (3 and 4) 20-game win staffs.

[GnL]

And that was when starters were expected to FINISH a game, or damn near it, as opposed to the “just get me to the 7th inning” expectations of today.

[llevrok]

Darn, my generation is dying off fast.

We are all on the same river. Some up stream, some down stream.

[wheelgun]

Sad news for baseball as the new season dawns.

From a Cincinnati Reds fan, vaya con Dios, amigo.

[bwc2221]

A few years back I met Phil Regan, who pitched for the Tigers, Cubs and Dodgers in the 1960s and early 1970s. He has another record that will never be broken. In middle relief, he won both ends of a double header twice in the season. He did it pitching for two different teams - the first time with the Dodgers and the second time with the Cubs after a mid-season trade.

[rabidralph]

Oh no! RIP, Mike.

[labette]

[TennTuxedo]

The 1971 Orioles staff may have been the best in Major league baseball history. All four starters, Cuellar, Jim Palmer, Pat Dobson, and Jim McNally won 20 games or more and all had eras under 3.08.

[EveningStar]

ping

[sig226]

Only one Ace left. Enjoy your rest, Mr. Cuellar. Thank you.

[weef]

RIP - I made Mike Cuellar on my Strat-o-Matic team in the ‘70’s.

[Rembrandt]

“I’m sure someone is now going to tell me that they tore down Memorial Stadium.”

If you ever visited Memorial Stadium, you have to celebrate that it’s been torn down. What a pit!

[Vermont Lt]

I read that and said, 72? No way.

Thanks for the fun. I really enjoyed your work.

Take a few days rest. You are starting on Monday.

[rfp1234]

RIP, Mike.

The tipping point of the '74 AL East race was the Labor Day Doubleheader. Both Cuellar and Grimsley blanked the fading Sox at Fenway (ouch!), by identical 1-0 scores.

http://research.sabr.org/journals/online/37-brj-1975/145-the-double-whammy

[Heracles Basileus]

I grew up in Balmer, near B’lair. It baffles me that these guys could pitch on two and tree days’ rest, throw 250+ innings a year, and still have ERAs to shame these lame, pampered excuses of ball players now. I think people thought of work differently then: too bad for us.

RIP, Mike. From a fan who misses Memorial Stadium, Rex Barney, Wild Bill (who post dates Cuellar by a couple years), and the Orioles who used to be something before that Democrat mooch of lawyer plundered them.

[Figment]

Part of probably the greatest starting pitching staff ever.

Didn’t they have 4 20 game winners?

[grey_whiskers]

Aw, crud.

RIP, Mike.

[grey_whiskers]

Part of probably the greatest starting pitching staff ever.

Part of the World Series champion 1970 Orioles pitch staff which included Palmer and McNally. Mike went 24 - 8 that year. 3.14 lifetime ERA. Heckuva pitcher. RIP.

my brother gave me a baseball signed by Mcnally, cuellar, palmer and dobson 1 game away from a really great year

The '71 Orioles had FOUR twenty-game winners: McNally, Cuellar, Dobson, and Palmer -- and a team ERA of 2.99.

And Brooks Robinson and Mark Belanger in the infield: and Frank Robinson, Merv Rettenmund, and Boog Powell to knock in runs.

Highest-scoring team in the AL that year.

Then the Pirates had to ruin it in the Series: as they did again in 1979, when the Orioles held a 3-1 lead with Palmer, McGregor, and Flanagan due to pitch...

NO Cheers, unfortunately.