Tuesday, February 23, 2016
#505 Mike Marshall
An odyssey of a baseball journey wrapped in controversy...high
highs, low lows....aloof...don’t ask him for an autograph, once a friend called him the most difficult signature in the
baseball...to others incredibly intelligent and revolutionary pitching
philosophy....Start at the beginning, another mid 60’s product of the pitching
rich Tigers....Did excellent work for Tigers in rookie season 1967....despite
this was sent to minors for 1968...offered up in expansion draft and taken by
Seattle....unwisely used as a starter going 3-10....In 1970 plays on 4 teams...Astros
and OKC farm club, traded to Expos for
Don Bosch (steal) and works for Expos and their AAA club....pitches well enough
for a second season responded with 23 saves and the primary closer role...For next 3 years embarks
on bullpen dominance...14 wins and 1.78 ERA 1972...another 14 wins and 31 saves
and #2 in Cy Young voting in 1973...1974 trade to Dodgers enhanced career
further by setting an appearance mark of 106 game which still stands and
claiming the Cy Young...1975 was far less noteworthy and marked two lost
years....Took to free agency and signed Twin 1978 who desperately need bullpen
help ....revitalized and reestablished himself as a top reliever for 1978-79.....Most
impressive was finishing 84 games in 1979 another MLB mark that stands....Finished up
in 1981 with Mets, same year as Mike
Marshall the position player debuted.
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Interesting. After failing as a starter with the Pilots, he was sent down to Toledo which was affiliated with the Tigers yet he never became property of the Tigers again as the Pilots sold him to Houston that November. It would be interesting to see a history of teams loaning minor leaguers to each other and when this practice stopped.
ReplyDeleteA bit more research on what I said about to no AA or AAA affiliations for 3 of 4 expansions teams. Upon looking at the PCL in 1969 there was one team, the Vancouver Mounties, that considered an independent. The roster however with Seattle and Montreal players. The Padres had to make do with a AA team in Elmira NY. They were also considered an independent team but there were a sizeable number of Padres farm hands. As far as Mike, it surprising he did not go to Vancouver.
DeleteThis may have happened quite a bit in 1969. I think he went back to Toledo because the Pilots had no AAA affiliate that year, only a class A clubs. This was common in the first year with 3 of the 4 expansion teams the outlier being the KC Royals. KC had a AAA club and seven clubs at A or below. Don't why this was so. It took a couple of years for expansion clubs to get full upper minor affiliations.
ReplyDeleteLoaning was also a part of player trades. Roy White was "loaned" on a look-see basis to the Dodgers organization in exchange for another player.
ReplyDeleteI think this is the last Marshall card with a close-up shot that wasn't airbrushed.
ReplyDeleteI don't think MM cared for the show of big league ball. Get that camera away from me!
DeleteAsked for his autograph as a pre-teen in 1974. He asked to see my last report card (like I always carried that with me) and if it didn't have all A's...no signature. Needless to say...no signature. The only Dodger that wouldn't sign for kids in 1974.
ReplyDeleteThe story is confirmed. One method that I've heard was used was to send him a check that he would have to sign to cash. Back in the day when checks were returned.
ReplyDeleteThere is long time friend of mine Bill, who is a professional autograph seller/agent who has some sort of arrangement with Mike and will deliver an autograph...for cost. It was Bill that told me all this stuff about Mike over 30 years ago.
FYI another I don't sign athlete is Basketball's Bill Russell.
I finally purchased a Mike Marshall autograph on a Topps 69 card as part of a Seattle Pilots framed thing that I have. Signed the card DR. Mike Marshall. It could've been from your friend Bill. Didn't think about the check thing. But then again, I didn't have a checking account as a 12 year old either!
DeleteAnother story is that he was a professor at St Cloud State university when he played for the Twins. I went to school there at the time but didn't know he was there at the time. Teaching physics. When Bill was telling me and another student about Mike's Autograph hatred, the other student said "oh I had him and he signed my drop add slip". Of course he didn't keep it.
ReplyDelete