Mike Marshall, MLB record-holder for most relief appearances in a season, dies at 87
Ironman pitcher Mike Marshall, the first reliever in baseball history to win a Cy Young Award, has died at the age of 87.
A native of Adrian, Michigan, Marshall passed away Monday night while under hospice care at his home in Zephyrhills, Florida, according to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The rubber-armed right-hander played for nine teams over his 14-year MLB career from 1967-1981, but he’s best known for his amazing durability and his signature screwball.
During his Cy Young-winning 1974 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Marshall set a record that will likely never be broken – appearing in 106 games and tossing 208 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. He finished the year with a 15-12 record, a league-best 21 saves and 2.42 ERA in helping lead the Dodgers to the World Series.
A two-time All-Star, Marshall led his league in appearances three other times during his career, in 1971 and ’72 with the Montreal Expos and in 1979 with the Minnesota Twins, when he pitched in 90 games (with a career-high 32 saves) at the age of 36.
“Marshall had fantastic stuff, the best screwball I’ve ever seen in my life,” former Expos general manager Fanning said in an interview during the 1990s. “You would see him on a cold night at Jarry Park and no sweatshirt, just a short-sleeved uniform top.”
That contrarian streak was a quality Marshall displayed both on and off the field.
He finished his career with a 97-112 record, 3.14 ERA and 188 saves in 1,386 2/3 innings.