Mickey Mahler
Encyclopedia
Michael James Mahler is a retired Major League Baseball
pitcher
. He played during eight seasons at the major league level for the Atlanta Braves
, Pittsburgh Pirates
, California Angels, Montreal Expos
, Detroit Tigers
, Texas Rangers
, and Toronto Blue Jays
. A graduate of Trinity University in San Antonio, he was drafted by the Braves in the 10th round of the amateur draft. Mahler played his first professional season with their Double-A Savannah Braves
in , and his last with the St. Louis Cardinals
' Triple-A Louisville Redbirds in . He is the brother of the late pitcher Rick Mahler
.
Mahler threw hard and had a big slow 12-6 curveball. Though hardly a distinguished major-leaguer, he was involved in a number of historic moments during his short career.
, appeared in a major-league game together as Braves teammates, in a game against the Houston Astros at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
. Mickey Mahler gave up two runs in two innings, while his brother, Rick, pitched one scoreless inning.
, and also gave up two walks. It also was Mahler's first complete game since May 28, 1979. "So much of the game is luck," Mahler told reporters after the game. "I didn't feel I pitched that well--not that I pitched that badly--but the wind here can help a pitcher. It held up a lot of balls that might have been hit out or gone through the gaps in the outfield. I owe a lot of appreciation to the people in the Montreal organization who gave me the opportunity to pitch in the majors again. I felt like I had a lot to prove to people with other clubs that didn't keep me. No matter what I do from now on, they can't take away that game I just pitched."
Mahler actually had pitched two no-hitters while in the minor leagues. On June 1, 1977, Mahler threw a no-hitter for the Richmond Braves
AAA team against the Toledo Mud Hens
.
...and in 1974 he no-hit the Birmingham Barons (Double A team for the Oakland A's) of the Southern League.
to win his 300th game. Mahler, who relieved Juan Berenguer
after he got into trouble in the first inning, retired 23 of the 25 hitters he faced, including the first 15 hitters who came up against him. A former teammate of Niekro's, Mahler told reporters after the game that "The thing I remember most about (Niekro) is what a great guy he was. I didn't think about the Niekro thing at all. I hated to be the one to beat him but that's the game."
In that same game, New York Yankees manager Billy Martin
sent left-handed-hitter Mike Pagliarulo
up to bat right-handed against Mahler. Detroit Tigers catcher Bob Melvin
was reported to have asked Pagliarulo, "What the hell are you doing?" Pagliarulo's reply: "I'm trying to get a base hit!" Ultimately, however, Pagliarulo took a called third strike.
On July 7, 1986, Mahler gave up the 2,000th hit to Dave Winfield
.
On September 2, 1986, Mahler plunked Brett Butler in the shoulder and immediately was removed the game, which Mahler's Blue Jays lost 9-5 to the Cleveland Indians. He would only pitch in one more game.
In 1986, after hitting Cleveland's Brett Butler with a pitch, Mahler told reporters, "The thing is, the signal here for the fastball is the signal for the curve in Texas and Oklahoma. When I got the sign, my mind said 'curve.' I took my grip, went into the stretch, kicked up the leg and, right in the middle of my motion, it dawned on me 'fastball.' I wound up trying to change my grip mid-motion."
In reflecting on his career as a journeyman, Mahler told the Toronto Star
in 1986: "It's not a pleasant way to spend a career, but the memories will be incredible. I've played with Reggie Jackson and Rod Carew and Dale Murphy, I've learned from Tom House and (Johnny) Sain, the two best pitching coaches in the business. I've been around, seen the best. It's not so bad a life."
Mahler also told reporters in 1986: "This is the best job in the world and I'll do anything they say - chalk the field before the game, sweep the dugout."
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
. He played during eight seasons at the major league level for the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
, California Angels, Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
, Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
, Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
, and Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
. A graduate of Trinity University in San Antonio, he was drafted by the Braves in the 10th round of the amateur draft. Mahler played his first professional season with their Double-A Savannah Braves
Savannah Braves
The Savannah Braves, were a baseball team that existed from 1971 to 1983 in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Affiliated with the Atlanta Braves, they played in the Southern League and played their home games at Grayson Stadium...
in , and his last with the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
' Triple-A Louisville Redbirds in . He is the brother of the late pitcher Rick Mahler
Rick Mahler
Richard Keith Mahler was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Atlanta Braves , Cincinnati Reds and Montreal Expos...
.
Mahler threw hard and had a big slow 12-6 curveball. Though hardly a distinguished major-leaguer, he was involved in a number of historic moments during his short career.
Pitching in a game with his brother
On September 25, 1979, Mahler and his brother, Rick MahlerRick Mahler
Richard Keith Mahler was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Atlanta Braves , Cincinnati Reds and Montreal Expos...
, appeared in a major-league game together as Braves teammates, in a game against the Houston Astros at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, often shortened to "Fulton County Stadium," was a multi-purpose stadium that formerly stood in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.-History:...
. Mickey Mahler gave up two runs in two innings, while his brother, Rick, pitched one scoreless inning.
One-hit shutout in 1985
On June 5, 1985, Mahler pitched what easily was the best game of his major-league career, hurling a one-hitter for the Expos in his first big league shutout in a 6-0 victory over the Giants at Candlestick Park. Mahler yielded his lone hit to Dan GladdenDan Gladden
Clinton Daniel "Dan" Gladden III is an American former Major League Baseball player and current radio broadcaster.-Baseball career:Gladden is a graduate of Westmont High School in Campbell, California...
, and also gave up two walks. It also was Mahler's first complete game since May 28, 1979. "So much of the game is luck," Mahler told reporters after the game. "I didn't feel I pitched that well--not that I pitched that badly--but the wind here can help a pitcher. It held up a lot of balls that might have been hit out or gone through the gaps in the outfield. I owe a lot of appreciation to the people in the Montreal organization who gave me the opportunity to pitch in the majors again. I felt like I had a lot to prove to people with other clubs that didn't keep me. No matter what I do from now on, they can't take away that game I just pitched."
Mahler actually had pitched two no-hitters while in the minor leagues. On June 1, 1977, Mahler threw a no-hitter for the Richmond Braves
Richmond Braves
The Richmond Braves were the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and played in the International League. Colloquially referred to as the R-Braves, they were based in Richmond, Virginia, where they played from 1966, when the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta where their AAA team, the Crackers,...
AAA team against the Toledo Mud Hens
Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team located in Toledo, Ohio. The Mud Hens play in the International League, and are affiliated with the major league baseball team the Detroit Tigers, based approximately 50 miles to the north of Toledo. The current team is one of several...
.
...and in 1974 he no-hit the Birmingham Barons (Double A team for the Oakland A's) of the Southern League.
Other noteworthy outings
On September 18, 1985, Mahler pitched 7-2/3 innings of one-hit relief to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 5-2 victory over the New York Yankees, thus denying a bid by Phil NiekroPhil Niekro
Philip Henry Niekro , nicknamed "Knucksie" because of his usage and skill level with the knuckleball, is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997....
to win his 300th game. Mahler, who relieved Juan Berenguer
Juan Berenguer
Juan Bautista Berenguer was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins and other teams. He had a career record of 67 wins and 62 losses. A mean-looking, husky Panamanian with long hair and a mustache, he was called "Pancho Villa" by his...
after he got into trouble in the first inning, retired 23 of the 25 hitters he faced, including the first 15 hitters who came up against him. A former teammate of Niekro's, Mahler told reporters after the game that "The thing I remember most about (Niekro) is what a great guy he was. I didn't think about the Niekro thing at all. I hated to be the one to beat him but that's the game."
In that same game, New York Yankees manager Billy Martin
Billy Martin
Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times...
sent left-handed-hitter Mike Pagliarulo
Mike Pagliarulo
Michael Timothy Pagliarulo, aka "Pags" , is a former Major League Baseball third baseman during the 1980s and into the mid 1990s...
up to bat right-handed against Mahler. Detroit Tigers catcher Bob Melvin
Bob Melvin
Robert Paul Melvin is the manager of the Oakland Athletics, and a former Major League Baseball catcher.During a 10-year playing career, he played from 1985–94 for seven different teams...
was reported to have asked Pagliarulo, "What the hell are you doing?" Pagliarulo's reply: "I'm trying to get a base hit!" Ultimately, however, Pagliarulo took a called third strike.
On July 7, 1986, Mahler gave up the 2,000th hit to Dave Winfield
Dave Winfield
David Mark Winfield is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is currently Executive Vice President/Senior Advisor of the San Diego Padres and an analyst for the ESPN program Baseball Tonight...
.
On September 2, 1986, Mahler plunked Brett Butler in the shoulder and immediately was removed the game, which Mahler's Blue Jays lost 9-5 to the Cleveland Indians. He would only pitch in one more game.
Witticisms
Throughout his career, Mahler developed a rapport with the press, and was known for being a very funny man. In 1986, he famously told USA Today, "If I were commissioner, I'd send every major-league player down to Triple-A after three years to see how good they have it now," only to be sent down to Triple-A the following day, on July 29, 1986.In 1986, after hitting Cleveland's Brett Butler with a pitch, Mahler told reporters, "The thing is, the signal here for the fastball is the signal for the curve in Texas and Oklahoma. When I got the sign, my mind said 'curve.' I took my grip, went into the stretch, kicked up the leg and, right in the middle of my motion, it dawned on me 'fastball.' I wound up trying to change my grip mid-motion."
In reflecting on his career as a journeyman, Mahler told the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
in 1986: "It's not a pleasant way to spend a career, but the memories will be incredible. I've played with Reggie Jackson and Rod Carew and Dale Murphy, I've learned from Tom House and (Johnny) Sain, the two best pitching coaches in the business. I've been around, seen the best. It's not so bad a life."
Mahler also told reporters in 1986: "This is the best job in the world and I'll do anything they say - chalk the field before the game, sweep the dugout."