There was no better interview in baseball than Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, so I was happy when I received this video from Spike Vrusho of Murtaugh TV today. The video is currently relevant because Fidrych talks about why he didn't win the Gold Glove in 1976. This is an exclusive video which I had not seen before, so Fidrych fans should check it out.
Vrushro is also the editor of the book Benchclearing: Baseball's Greatest Fights and Riots which can be found on Amazon.
Showing posts with label Fidrych Diary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fidrych Diary. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Dear Mr. Fidrych
Detroit native Michael Cramer was 12 years old in 1976, the year Mark Fidrych took baseball by storm and became a national sensation. Cramer was one of 50,000 fans in attendance the night Mark Fidrych beat the Yankees on national television and became a hero to young fans across America. Like so many Tigers fans who were around to witness that incredible rookie season, Cramer idolized the Bird and has never forgotten the excitement he felt that summer. Cramer, now a Chicago lawyer, was determined to share his memories of Fidrych in a special way.
Working on nights and weekends, Cramer wrote, directed and starred in an independent film titled "Dear Mr. Fidrych". In the first half of the movie, Marty Jones (played by Cramer's son Noah) is an intellectual 12-year-old boy, who is teased by school bullies for his interest in poetry. He also loves baseball and is frustrated at being stuck on a Little League minors team when he knows that he is good enough to play in the more competitive and esteemed Little League majors.
Marty writes a poem and sends it to Fidrych, who thinks it is "cool". The Bird writes back telling Marty that the poem inspired him to beat the Angels the next night. From that point on, things start to go well for Marty. Most notably, he gets a chance to play in Little League majors and becomes one of the stars of the team.
The movie then goes forward thirty years where Marty (played by Cramer himself) is a Chicago advertising executive, who still dabbles in poetry. His career and marriage are falling apart and he decides that he has to get away. So, he takes a road trip with his son (played by his real life son Jack) from Chicago to Boston in hopes of meeting the Bird. They do eventually meet Fidrych (who plays himself) on his farm in Northborough, Massachusetts. The charismatic yet unassuming Fidrych did not disappointment in being his genuine friendly self.
Yesterday, I took my mother to see the movie at the Strand Theater in Clinton, Massachusetts, which is not too far from Northborough. The theatre was built in the 1920s and definitely has the feel of an old-time movie theater. It is unique in that it has comfortable seating with tables where people can eat a meal as they view. I suspect many in the audience were relatives and friends of Fidrych and they were delighted to get the chance to thank Cramer personally after the movie.
The movie was artistic and skillfully done and I enjoyed it very much. Cramer did a great job capturing the thoughts and feelings of a young baseball player and fan. I also thought the storyline was realistic yet compelling from beginning to end. The acting was good too and the younger Cramers - Noah and Jack - were especially talented. Tigers fans of the 1970s will also enjoy the familiar names and sights which show up throughout the movie. I recommend the movie to all Tigers fans and Fidrych fans if the movie ever shows in your area.
Sadly, Fidrych died in a tragic accident on his farm a couple months before the movie was completed. Cramer was shocked by the news of the death and regrets that Mark never saw the final product. However, he hopes that the movie will help keep the memory of Fidrych alive for those who experienced the Bird phenomenon and those who wish they did.
More information about the movie can be found at the following links:
DearMrFidrych.com
Worcester Telegram
Working on nights and weekends, Cramer wrote, directed and starred in an independent film titled "Dear Mr. Fidrych". In the first half of the movie, Marty Jones (played by Cramer's son Noah) is an intellectual 12-year-old boy, who is teased by school bullies for his interest in poetry. He also loves baseball and is frustrated at being stuck on a Little League minors team when he knows that he is good enough to play in the more competitive and esteemed Little League majors.
Marty writes a poem and sends it to Fidrych, who thinks it is "cool". The Bird writes back telling Marty that the poem inspired him to beat the Angels the next night. From that point on, things start to go well for Marty. Most notably, he gets a chance to play in Little League majors and becomes one of the stars of the team.
The movie then goes forward thirty years where Marty (played by Cramer himself) is a Chicago advertising executive, who still dabbles in poetry. His career and marriage are falling apart and he decides that he has to get away. So, he takes a road trip with his son (played by his real life son Jack) from Chicago to Boston in hopes of meeting the Bird. They do eventually meet Fidrych (who plays himself) on his farm in Northborough, Massachusetts. The charismatic yet unassuming Fidrych did not disappointment in being his genuine friendly self.
Yesterday, I took my mother to see the movie at the Strand Theater in Clinton, Massachusetts, which is not too far from Northborough. The theatre was built in the 1920s and definitely has the feel of an old-time movie theater. It is unique in that it has comfortable seating with tables where people can eat a meal as they view. I suspect many in the audience were relatives and friends of Fidrych and they were delighted to get the chance to thank Cramer personally after the movie.
The movie was artistic and skillfully done and I enjoyed it very much. Cramer did a great job capturing the thoughts and feelings of a young baseball player and fan. I also thought the storyline was realistic yet compelling from beginning to end. The acting was good too and the younger Cramers - Noah and Jack - were especially talented. Tigers fans of the 1970s will also enjoy the familiar names and sights which show up throughout the movie. I recommend the movie to all Tigers fans and Fidrych fans if the movie ever shows in your area.
Sadly, Fidrych died in a tragic accident on his farm a couple months before the movie was completed. Cramer was shocked by the news of the death and regrets that Mark never saw the final product. However, he hopes that the movie will help keep the memory of Fidrych alive for those who experienced the Bird phenomenon and those who wish they did.
More information about the movie can be found at the following links:
DearMrFidrych.com
Worcester Telegram
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Mark Fidrych Diary - September, 1976
The Mark Fidrych Diary will be a regular feature on Tiger Tales during the course of the spring and summer. This year is the 30th anniversay of Fidrych's magical rookie season in 1976 and, to honor the memory of that campaign, I will be writing a regular diary of his season from the perspective of a fan who doesn't know what lies ahead. I will update the diary once or twice a week during the season. I was 13 years old that summer so I have some vivid memories but I will also be using retrosheet.org and various newspaper archives to make sure I get the facts straight.
Entries for previous months can be found here: April May June July August
October 3, 1976
The Tigers finished their season with a 5-2 victor over the Brewers today. The winning pitcher was Dave Roberts who finished with a record of 16-17. The Tigers ended up 74-87 and in 5th place 24 games behind the division winning Yankees. This was a 17 win improvement over last year when they went 57-105.
The Bird ended up 19-9 with a league leading 2.34 ERA in 250 innings. He also led the league with 24 complete games in 29 starts. The leading Tiger reliever was John Hiller who pitched 121 innings pitched over 56 games. He finished with a record of 9-6 with 13 saves and an ERA of 2.38.
Ron Leflore finished among the top ten batters with a .316 average. He was second in the league in steals with 58 and scored 93 runs. He should be an exciting player for years to come. Rusty Staub batted .299-15-96 in his first year with the Tigers. He led the team in RBI. He finished 4th in the league in on base percentage, an obscure but interesting stat. Jason Thompson led the team in home runs with 17. He only batted .218 but he’s just 22 and should have a great future.
October 2, 1976
The Tigers played the Brewers today at
The Tigers scored first in the 2nd inning when Bruce Kimm walked, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a grounder by Pedro Garcia. It was 1-0 Tigers after 2 innings.
In the 5th inning, Garcia walked, went to third an a single by late season call-up
In the 7th inning, the Tigers scored 2 more runs to go up 4-0. Garcia doubled and scored on a single by Staub. Staub went to second on a passed ball and scored on an error by Robin Yount.
The Brewers scored their only run against Fidrych in the 9th on singles by Yount and George Scott and a sacrifice fly by Darrell Porter. The final score was 4-1 Tigers.
Fidrych finished his incredible rookie season with a 19-9 record, a 2.34 ERA and 24 complete games. He currently leads the league in ERA and complete games with one day left in the season.
The Tigers played a doubleheader against the Indians today. The Bird pitched in the first game against hard throwing but wild Jim Bibby. Fidrych got 6 days rest between starts due to a couple of rained out games this week.
The Tigers scored 2 runs in the 4th inning to take the lead. Willie Horton homered with one out to make it 1-0. Jason Thompson then singled, went to second on an error and scored on a single by Bruce Kimm making it 2-0 Tigers.
In the 5th inning, Dan Meyer hit a 2 out single, stole second and scored on a single by Rusty Staub. Staub scored on a double by Willie Horton to make it 4-0 and this was the final score.
Fidrych pitched one of his best games of the year – a complete game shutout on 5 hits and 1 walk. Perhaps, the extra rest was good for him. He is now 18-9 with a 2.39 ERA, 23 complete games and 4 shutouts.
The Tigers ended up with a split of the doubleheader as the Indians took the second game by a score of 6-1.
September 21, 1976
The Bird pitched against Rick Waits and the Indians tonight. Fidrych had not been having a great month so I was really hoping for a strong start as I listened to Ernie Harwell and Paul Carey broadcast the game.
The Tigers gave Fidrych an early lead when they scored 2 runs in the first inning. Rusty Staub walked and Willie Horton singled to put runners on first and second with two outs. Mickey Stanley then got a two run double.
In the 7th inning, Phil Mankowski led off with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice and scored on a single by Mark Wagner. Ben Oglivie then hit a two run homer to make it 5-0.
Meanwhile, Fidrych pitched shutout ball for 7 innings before running into trouble in the 8th. He loaded the bases on a single by Tommy Smith and two walks before anybody was out. Rick Manning followed with two run single to make it 5-2. Fidrych managed to get out of the inning with only one more run scoring on a grounder by Larvell Blanks. The score was 5-3 after 8 and that was how it ended.
As usual, Fidrych went the distance for his 22nd complete game. He is now 17-9 with a 2.48 ERA. He has 2 or 3 games left.
September 17, 1976
The Bird faced the Red Sox and Luis Tiant tonight. It was on TV here in
About the only highlights for the Tigers were a couple of home runs. Willie Horton hit a 2 run homer in the 4th to make it 7-2 at the time. It was his 13th homer of the year. Ben Oglivie added his 14th homer in the 8th inning making it 8-3 which was the final score.
Fidrych is now16-9 with a 2.46 ERA. Vida Blue has now taken the league lead with a 2.45 ERA. Fidrych seems to be tiring down the stretch.
Fidrych was quoted in The Boston Globe this morning as saying that he has been offered a basketball scholarship by the
September 12, 1976
The Tigers and Yankees played a doubleheader before 53,000 fans in Yankee Stadium today. The first game featured Fidrych and Dock Ellis. The second game was a matchup between rookie Ed Glynn and Ed Figueroa.
In the 4th inning of game 1, the Tigers scored when Rusty Staub walked, Alex Johnson singled to left and Mickey Stanley singled to center.
The Tigers made it 2-0 in the 6th when Willie Horton reached on an error by Willie Randolph, Ellis balked and Mickey Stanley singled.
In the 7th inning, Mark Wagner led off with a walk and then Ben Ogilivie homered to make it 4-0. It was Oglivie’s 13th home run of the year.
The Tigers scored 2 more in the 8th to make it 6-0. Chuck Scrivener reached on an error, went to second on a passed ball and scored on a triple by Wagner. Meyer then singled to score Wagner.
It was The Bird’s third shutout of the year and he improved his record to 16-8. Since he probably still has 4-5 starts left, he has a chance to win 20 games. He also lowered his league leading ERA to 2.24.
In game 2, the Yankees defeated the Tigers 3-1 to gain a split. Ed Glynn, who allowed just 1 run in 6 innings in his debut last week, pitched another good game today. He allowed 3 runs (2 of them earned) in 8 innings. He was a little wild allowing 5 walks but overall it was a good start against a tough Yankee team. He is a pretty good prospect so I’m looking forward to his next start.
In yesterday’s game, The Bird was hoping to bounce back from his worst start of the season. He was up against the dreaded Orioles and was facing a tough opponent in Wayne Garland who entered the game with 15-6 record and a 2.75 ERA. There were only about 16,000 fans in Tiger Stadium for this one. I don’t know whether the novelty of The Bird is wearing off or whether it’s because school has started. At any rate, it turned out to be a very sloppy game.
The Orioles scored a run in the third on a double by Lee May and errors by Jason Thompson and Chuck Scrivener.
The Tigers came back with 3 runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. Ron Leflore struck out but was safe at first on a wild pitch. Rookie Phil Mankowski, who was called up from
The Orioles tied the game 3-3 with 2 runs in the 5th. The runs scored on singles by Bobby Grich and Reggie Jackson, a ground out by Ken Singleton, and a double by Tony Muser.
In the Orioles 7th, an error by Mark Wagner contributed to 2 unearned runs. Grich led off with a single,
It was not The Bird’s best game (he allowed 11 hits) but there were 4 errors behind him and only 2 of the 5 runs were earned. The loss dropped Fidrych to 15-8. He did manage to regain the American league ERA lead at 2.34. Vida Blue and Bill Travers are tied for 2nd at 2.38. Fidrych will face the division leading Yankees at
Monday, August 28, 2006
Mark Fidrych Diary - August, 1976
The Mark Fidrych Diary will be a regular feature on Tiger Tales during the course of the spring and summer. This year is the 30th anniversay of Fidrych's magical rookie season in 1976 and, to honor the memory of that campaign, I will be writing a regular diary of his season from the perspective of a fan who doesn't know what lies ahead. I will update the diary once or twice a week during the season. I was 13 years old that summer so I have some vivid memories but I will also be using retrosheet.org and various newspaper archives to make sure I get the facts straight.
Tanana for his 14th win of the season. He now has 16 complete games and still leads the league with 1.97 ERA. The Tigers are now 56-60 and are in 4th place 15 games behind
Entries for previous months can be found here: April May June July
August 29, 1976
The Bird pitched at
In the top of the first, Ron Leflore singled , stole second, went to third on a ground out and scored on a wild pitch. This gave the Tigers an early 1-0 lead. Leflore’s steal was his 49th of the season. He added another one later to give him an even 50.
The Athletics tied it up 1-1 in the 3rd on a home run by Phil Garner. That was all the scoring for a while as Fidrych retired 17 of the next 18 batters and the Tigers didn’t have any better success against Torrez. It was still 1-1 after 11 innings. It was quite a duel.
In the 12th, Torrez was replaced by Rollie Fingers who retired the Tigers easily. The Bird kept on pitching into the bottom of the 12th. This was the 5th time Houk stayed with Fidrych into extra innings but the first time he went into the 12th. Don Baylor led off with a single and eventually came around to score on a one out single by Gene Tenace. The final score was 2-1 Athletics in 12 innings.
Like most of Fidrych’s rare losses, this was a tough one. The Bird is now 15-6 with a 2.08 ERA and 19 complete games in 22 starts.
August 26, 1976
The Bird was looking to get back on track last night after his disasterous 10th inning in his previous start. I still think Ralph Houk left him in there too long and deserves some of the blame for the 4 run 9th. Anyway, they were facing the White Sox tonight and Bart Johnson was the opposing pitcher.
The Tigers scored first in the 4th inning. With two out, Jason Thompson singled to left and then surprised everybody in the park by stealing second. According to Ernie Harwell, Thompson was able to steal easily because Johnson failed to pitch from the stretch pitching from a full windup instead. I guess he was really confident that Thompson would never try to steal. Thompson scored on a single to center by Aurelio Rodriguez.
In the top of the 5th inning, Jack Brohamer led off for the White Sox with a single to right. After two were out, Jerry Hairston singled to right and Brohamer came around to score when Ben Oglivie let the ball go through his legs. It was an unearned run but the score was now tied 1-1.
In the Tiger 6th, Oglivie made up for his error by tripling to center with one out. He scored when Alan Bannister had trouble picking up the ball. Rusty Staub followed with a walk and went to third when Thompson singled. Rodriguez then hit a sacrifice fly to center scoring Staub to make it 3-1 Tigers. There was no more scoring in the game after that.
Fidrych is now 15-5 with a 2.11 ERA and 17 complete games. In an interview after the game, The Bird said his goal was to win his 16th game and keep his ERA around 2.00. He also claimed that he needs to improve his control. With only 37 walks in 188 innings, I’m not sure how better he can get. The Tigers are now 60-65 and in 4th place 16 games behind.
The Bird pitched on The Saturday Game of the Week yesterday so I was able to watch him again. He was facing Pete Redfern and the Minnesota Twins. The game got off to a good start with the Tigers scoring 3 runs in the first inning. With one out, Dan Meyer walked. Ben Oglivie singled him to second and Rusty Staub followed with a two run double. Jason Thompson then singled home Staub to make it 3-0.
The Twins bounced back with two of their own in the second. Lyman Bostock led off with a single. Steve Brye followed with his first home run of the year to make it 3-2.
There was no more scoring until the 7th. In the top of that inning, Bostock and Brye singled to put runners on first and third. Bostock scored on a Larry Hisle single to tie the score 3-3.
It was still tied after 9 innings. Fidrych stayed in to pitch the 10th and got the first man but then it all unraveled. Here is how the inning went:
Steve Brye grounded out to shortstop
Bob Randall singled
Steve Braun singled
Roy Smalley singled (Randall out at plate)
Rod Carew walked
Disco Danny Ford was hit by the pitch (Braun scored)
Butch Wynegar scored (Smalley and Carew scored)
Lyman Bostock doubled (Ford scored)
Mike Cubbage grounded out to shortstop.
When all was said and done, the Twins had scored 4 runs to take a 7-3 lead. I have no idea why Fidrych was not taken out of the game.
The final score was 7-3 and, after the game, Fidrych said: “Well, I guess I’m human. Maybe, it’s for the best. It’s hard to believe. Seven runs. Earned too.” Fidrych is now 14-5 with a 2.22 ERA and 17 complete games.
August 18, 1976
Fidrych pitched versus fireballer Frank Tanana (who came into the game 14-8 with a 2.77 ERA) and the California Angels last night. I know I mention attendance figures a lot but it’s really amazing how many fans come out to see The Bird. Last night, there were 51,822 fans in Tiger Stadium, their biggest crowd in 6 years. Fidrych enjoys the big crowds: “They make my body kind of rush, get my blood flowing a lot.” He also likes to talk to them away from the park: ”I don’t have a phone so they can’t call me. A lot of people come to my apartment, kids and things, but I don’t mind rapping with them. What else do I have to do during the day?”
Fidrych cruised through the first 4 innings but then allowed a solo home run to Ron Jackson in the 5th. In the Angels 6th, Dave Collins singled to right, went to second on a sacrifice by Jerry Remy, went to third on wild pitch and scored on a Bruce Bochte sacrifice fly. That made it 2-0 Angels.
In the bottom of the 6th, Bruce Kimm walked with one out and scored on a triple by Ron Leflore. Alex Johnson then hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game 2-2.
It was still 2-2 in the bottom of the 8th when The Bird’s personal catcher, Bruce Kimm led off the inning. Kimm smashed a home run to left field to put the Tigers in front 3-2. It was Kimm’s first career home run and he raised his arms in celebration as he ran around the bases. This pumped up an already enthusiastic crowd to another level. I was listening to Ernie Harwell’s description but it must have been a sight to see.
August 14, 1976
Fidrych turned 22 today. Happy Birthday to The Bird!
August 12, 1976
Fidrych pitched against the Rangers last night before over 36,000 fans at Tiger Stadium. I read in The Sporting News this week that the Tigers have averaged about 36,000 fans in Fidrych's home starts including close to 46,000 in his last 5 starts. In Tiger home games when Fidrych has not pitched, they have averaged about 17,000 fans. So, you could say the The Bird brings in almost 30,000 extra fans per start. That's not bad for a guy who is making a league minimun $17,000.
Facing Fidrych was Gaylord Perry who came into the game with a record of 11-8 and a 3.31 ERA. Perry has been accused of throwing spitballs his whole career but has never actually been caught. Most people seem to think he does throw it and that many others do as well. He is also constantly touching his belt and his cap to make batters think it is coming whether it is or not.
It was a see saw game throughout. The Rangers scored first in the 2nd inning on a passed ball by Bruce Kimm which brought home Mike Hargrove who had singled to lead off the inning. The Tigers tied it 1-1 in the 3rd on consecutive singles by Dan Meyer, Rusty Staub and Jason Thompson.
The Rangers took the lead back in the 4th on a Mike Hargrove home run. The Tigers then tied it 2-2 in the 5th on Rusty Staub’s 11th home run of the year.
The Tigers took the lead 3-2 in the 6th when Aurelio Rodriguez tripled and scored on a single by Alex Johnson. The Rangers came back in the 7th to tie it 3-3 when Gene Clines singled home Juan Beniquez. It was the 4th tie of the game.
August 8, 1976
The Tigers played the Indians on The Game of The Week today. One of the great things about having The Bird on the team is that they show up on the game of the week quite a bit. Without Fidrych, they would never show a game between these two teams. Fidrych had not won a game since July 20 and had not been as sharp recently as he was earlier in the season. There was talk on the pre-game show about his perhaps being tired.
The Tigers got off to a quick start in the first inning. After Ron Leflore led off with a single, Dan Meyer was safe at first when Leflore was forced at second on his grounder. Meyer then stole second and went to third on a Ben Oglivie single. Rusty Staub followed with a sacrifice fly to drive home the first run of the game.
Fidrych pitched perfectly through the first four innings and he looked very determined and in control doing it. Rico Carty led off the 5th with a walk for the Indians first base runner. He went to second on a single by Buddy Bell. Alan Ashby singled to center to tie the game at 1-1.
The Tigers came right back in the bottom of the 5th. Chuck Scrivener led off with a walk and Bruce Kimm sacrificed him to second. Leflore then singled to left scoring Scrivener and he moved up to second on the throw. Leflore scored on a single by Meyer. Ben Oglivie followed with a single advancing Meyer to third. Finally, with two out, Jason Thompson singled home Meyer to make the score 4-1 Tigers.
The Tigers did some more damage in the 6th. Kimm doubled with two outs. Leflore and Meyer both walked to loads the bases. Oglivie then singled home two runs and upped the lead to 6-1. This would be the final score.
Fidrych allowed 1 run on 6 hits in route to his 14th complete game. He did not look at all like a tired pitcher in today’s game. He is now 12-4 with a 1.91 ERA. The Tigers are now in 5th place with a record of 50-56 and are 14 games behind.
August 4, 1976
Fidrych faced the Yankees last night for the first time since that Monday night game in June where he beat the Yankees and gained national recognition for his pitching and his antics on the mound. This one was played in Yankee Stadium before 44,000 noisy Yankee fans.
The Tigers got off to a good start in this one. In the first inning, Ron Leflore singled and stole second. Rusty Staub walked with one out. Willie Horton reached on an error by Graig Nettles and Leflore scored on another error by Sandy Alomar. Jason Thompson then hit a sacrifice fly to score Staub.
The Yankees came back in the third. Fred Stanley led off with a single. One out later, Roy White hit a two run homer to tie the game 2-2.
It didn’t take long for the Tigers to get the lead back. In the top of the 4th, Veryzer led off with a single. Rusty Staub followed with a walk. Horton then singled to score Veryzer for the go ahead run. The Tigers led 3-2 after 4 innings.
In the Yankee 7th, Nettles led off with a single. Oscar Gamble followed with a two run home run to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead. This was only the second time Fidrych had given up more than one homer in a game. He has allowed 7 homers in 16 starts for the season. John Hiller replaced The Bird in the 8th. The final score was 4-3 Yankees. Fidrych is now 11-4 and still leads the league with a 1.96 ERA.
Billy Martin tried to psych out Fidrych before the game. He bought some black beans and had Nettles spread them around the mound before The Bird pitched in the first inning. After the game, Martin said: “I was feeding the Bird during the game. You’re allowed to feed the Bird, aren’t you? I fed The Bird home runs.” It wasn’t all bad from Martin though. Later, he admitted: ”He’s a damn good pitcher, that kid. He’s colorful too.”
Fidrych said that he saw the beans but ignored them. He also had no excuses: ”I can’t believe it. Those pitchers were low and they golfed them out. I talked to the ball but that’s life I guess. I shoulda won the game. But I blew it. I had my defense behind me. They played un-godly behind me and I gave up two taters.”
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Mark Fidrych Diary - July, 1976
The Mark Fidrych Diary will be a regular feature on Tiger Tales during the course of the spring and summer. This year is the 30th anniversay of Fidrych's magical rookie season in 1976 and, to honor the memory of that campaign, I will be writing a regular diary of his season from the perspective of a fan who doesn't know what lies ahead. I will update the diary once or twice a week during the season. I was 13 years old that summer so I have some vivid memories but I will also be using retrosheet.org and various newspaper archives to make sure I get the facts straight.
Entries for previous months can be found here: April, 1976 May, 1976 June, 1976
July 29, 1976
Trying to bounce back from his worst start of the year against the Indians last week, Fidrych pitched against the Orioles last night. He pitched with four days rest instead of three days and he was much sharper this time. Rudy may pitched for the Orioles and like so many of Fidrych’s starts this one would be a tight low scoring game.
Neither team mounted much of a threat in the early going and it was scoreless after 3 innings. In the top of the fourth, Bobby Grich singled with one out. Lee May followed with a another single to advance Grich to third. Ken Singleton then hit a grounder to Jason Thompson at first and Grich was thrown out at the plate. With two now out, Fidrych walked Tony Muser to load the bases. Fidrych then got Mark Belanger to ground to second and it looked like the inning was over but Pedro Garcia bobbled the ball and a run scored. Fidrych ended the inning by getting Doug Decinces to ground to third but the Orioles were leading 1-0 after 4 innings.
There would be no more scoring the rest of the way. The Tigers had 2 on with 1 out in the 6th and 2 on with 2 out in the 7th but could not score. May pitched a 6 hit shutout to even his record at 7-7. Fidrych pitched his 13th complete game allowing 6 hits and just 1 unearned run but took the loss. He is now 11-3 with a league leading 1.80 ERA. All of his losses have been shutouts. The other two were a 2-0 loss to the Red Sox and a 1-0 loss to the Royals.
July 25, 1976
The Tigers played the Indians on NBC’s Saturday game of the week yesterday. Fidrych was originally supposed to pitch today on four day’s rest but he was moved up one day so he could pitch in the nationally televised game. There were over 37,000 fans at Cleveland Stadium to watch the Bird.
The Tigers got off to a good start scoring a run in each of the first 4 innings against Jackie Brown. In the first inning, Tom Veryzer singled, went to second when Rusty Staub walked and scored on a double by Willie Horton. In the second, Ron Leflore reached on a fielders choice, stole second and scored on a single by Veryzer. Then, in the third, Jason Thompson hit a solo homer. Finally, in the fourth, Leflore walked, went to second on a single by Veryzer and scored on a Staub single. It was 4-0 Tigers after 3 ½ innings.
Fidrych allowed 3 hits but no runs in the first three innings. In the fourth, Rico Carty led off with a single. George Hendrick followed with another single and Carty came around to score when Staub bobbled the ball. Hendrick then scored on a Bruce Kimm throwing error. Boog Powell also singled but Fidrych escaped with no further damage. It was 4-2 Tigers after 4 innings.
In the fifth inning, John Lowenstein singled, Rick Manning doubled and Carty walked to load the bases with one out. Hendrick then tied the game with a two run single. At this point, Ralph Houk removed Fidrych from the game and replaced him with John Hiller. Hiller got out of the inning and it was 4-4 after 5 innings.
Hiller finished up the game pitching 4 2/3 shutout innings. The Tigers won the game 5-4 when Ben Oglivie hit a solo home run in the eighth. So the Tigers bailed out Fidrych but it was the first time in 14 starts that he failed go 7 innings and the second time he didn’t complete the game. Houk indicated after the game that Fidrych may have been tired: “He wasn’t sharp. He was pitching with too short rest. I was afraid he wouldn’t have good stuff and he didn’t.” It sounds like Houk might not hve been too happy with the front office’s decision to move him up for the game of the week. We can probably expect 4 days rest before his next start.
July 21, 1976
Fidrych faced the Twins at Metropolitan Stadium in
Fidrych fell behind 3-0 after 4 innings. The Twins scored 2 runs in the 3rd and 1 in the 4th. Tony Oliva was involved in the scoring both innings, scoring a run in the 3rd and driving in a run in the 4th. He ended up 4 hits for the game.
Rusty Staub tied the game with a 3 run homer off Bill Singer in the 6th. Aurelio Rodriguez then singled home Jason Thompson to make it 4-3 after 6 innings. In the 7th, Bruce Kimm, The Bird’s personal catcher, led off with a double and Ron Leflore belted a 2 run homer. Thompson singled home another run making it 7-3 after 7 innings.
July 17, 1976
Fidrych pitched against the A’s last night after just two days rest. He only only pitched 2 innings in the all-star game Tuesday but I was surprised to see him pitch so soon. I thought they would give him a little extra rest. Are they pushing him a little too much? He pitched against Mike Torrez who came into the game 8-9 3.52. The Athletics have a couple of league leaders on their team – Sal Bando with 19 home runs and Bill North with 42 stolen bases.
Fidrych breezed through the first 6 innings allowing just a hit and a walk, facing the minimum number of batters and retiring 16 in a row at one point. Torrez was just as sharp giving up just a single and double.
Fidrych allowed two singles and a walk in the 7th but the A’s could not score. The A’s got two more men on base in the 8th but again failed to score. The game remained scoreless after 9 innings. Torrez, who allowed just 5 hits and no walks was relieved by Rollie Fingers in the 9th. The Bird stayed in the game.
It stayed scoreless until the bottom of the 11th. Ron Leflore led off with a single. Tom Veryzer sacrificed him to second. Rusty Staub was walked intentionally. Then, Willie Horton, in his second game since returning from his knee injury, singled home Leflore to win the game. Fidrych ran onto the field and gave Horton a big hug. The final score was 1-0 Tigers in 11 innings.
Fidrych is now 10-2 with 11 complete games (including 3 that went 11 innings) and a 1.60 ERA. There were 46,000 fans in Tiger Stadium. That makes 196,000 fans for the last 4 home games in which Fidrych has pitched. As usual, the crowd would not go home until Fidrych made a curtain call. Both managers commented on the festive atmosphere at the park. Chuck Tanner claimed that “It was better than a World Series game”. Ralph Houk said: “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s the damndest thing.”
July 14, 1976
The all-star game was last night and these were the starting line-ups:
American League
Ron Leflore LF
Rod Carew 1B
George Brett 3B
Thurman Munson C
Freddie Lynn CF
Toby Harrah SS
Rusty Staub RF
Bobby Grich 2B
Mark Fidrych P
Steve Garvey 1B
Joe Morgan 2B
George Foster CF
Greg Luzinski LF
Johnny Bench C
Dave Kingman RF
Dave Concepcion SS
Randy Jones P
Fidrych did not have a good night. Rose led off the game with a single and scored on a triple by Garvey. Another run scored on a grounder by Foster. Fidrych pitched 2 innings allowing 4 hits and 2 runs. Two runs was all the National League needed as they went on to win 7-1. It was their 13th win in the last 14 years.
The other Tigers made contributions offensively. Leflore had a single in two at bats and Staub had two singles in two at bats. It was not nearly enough though. Now it’s back to the regular season with a 4 game series versus the A’s. Fidrych is scheduled to pitch Friday night on just two days rest.
July 10, 1976
Fidrych faced the Kansas City Royals, the top hitting team in the league, tonight. Dennis Leonard, who came into the game with a record of 8-3 3.07, pitched for the Royals. Once again, Tiger Stadium was filled with over 51,000 fans. The Bird has attracted 150,000 fans in his last three starts. He’s earning a lot of money for the team right now but makes only $16,500. It doesn’t bother him though. He said:”I was getting $2 an hour working in a garage only a couple of years ago. Right now, I’m making more money than my father.”
The first three innings of tonight’s game were scoreless. The Royals broke the ice in the top of the 4th. With one out, George Brett, John Mayberry and Hal McRae hit consecutive singles to score a run. The Royals led 1-0 after 4 innings.
There would be no more scoring for either team the rest of the game. Both pitchers went the distance. Fidrych did a great job scattering 9 hits and allowing just 1 run against a very tough team but Leonard was a little better. Fidrych is now 9-2 with 10 complete games and a league leading 1.78 ERA.
July 4, 1976
I just got back from the big bicentennial parade and am getting ready for the family cookout later. Fidrych faced the Orioles last night before another massive crowd of over 51,000. Mike Cuellar pitched for the Orioles. Listening to the radio, it sounded as if the fans went crazy on every pitch thrown by Fidrych. Once again, it felt like a playoff atmosphere. It is amazing how the Bird has caught on.
After Fidrych retired the Orioles in the top of the first, Ron Leflore led off the bottom of the inning with a single and then stole his 27th base of the year. Tom Veryzer then walked to put runners on first and second and Rusty Staub followed with a 3 run home run, his 6th of the year. The Tigers led 3-0 after one.
In the bottom of the 4th, Jason Thompson led off with his 12th home run of the year. He always seems to hit well with Fidrych is on the mound. The score was 4-0 Tigers after 4 innings.
There would be no more scoring in the game. Fidrych pitched his best game yet and earned his first shutout while allowing just 4 hits and 3 walks. He is now 9-1 with a league leading 1.85 Era and 9 complete games. Just like the previous game against the Yankees, the fans refused to leave when the game was over. They chanted “We want Bird” over and over until he came out of the dugout and waved to the crowd.
I read today that President Gerald Ford called him after the game to congratulate him. Fidrych, however, was so convinced that it was his teammates playing a joke on him that he refused to take the call. He doesn’t want to get a big head though. He said:”If that starts to happen I want somebody on the club to smack me down. I want somebody to say, “you’re too cocky. You’re not that good. You’re only a rookie.”
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Mark Fidrych Diary - June, 1976
The Mark Fidrych Diary will be a regular feature on Tiger Tales during the course of the spring and summer. This year is the 30th anniversay of Fidrych's magical rookie season in 1976 and, to honor the memory of that campaign, I will be writing a regular diary of his season from the perspective of a fan who doesn't know what lies ahead. I will update the diary once or twice a week during the season. I was 13 years old that summer so I have some vivid memories but I will also be using retrosheet.org and various newspaper archives to make sure I get the facts straight.
Entries for previous months can be found here: April, 1976 May, 1976
June 28
The Tigers were on national television tonight – Monday night baseball. It was Fidrych against Ken Holtzman and the Yankees. Tiger Stadium was packed with nearly 50,000 fans, half of them there to see The Bird who has become a big fan favorite in
The Tigers scored two runs in the first inning on a two run home run by Rusty Staub, The Yankees got one back in the second on a solo shot by Elrod Hendricks. It was 2-1 Tigers after 2 innings.
Then Fidrych and Holtzman settled down and cruised through the middle innings. At one point Fidrych retired 13 out 14 while Holtzman retired 15 of 17 (with one of the two base runners reaching on an error). It was still 2-1 Tigers after 6 innings.
TheTigers scored one run in the 7th on a solo homer by Aurelio Rodriguez. They added two more in the 8th on singles by Ron Leflore and Tom Veryzer, a ground out by Staub and a double by Alex Jounson. The Tigers won 5-1. Fidrych is now 8-1 with a 2.05 ERA and 8 complete games.
It wasn’t so much the 5-1 victory which made the game exciting though. It was the electric atmosphere. The crowd went crazy like I’ve never seen a regular season crown get. I don’t know if I’ve ever even seen a post-season crowd get like that. I think the crowd got Fidrych pumped up because he was even more animated than the other times I saw him. And the crowd was with him on every pitch. The concentratrion and pinpoint control was still there though.
When the game was over, he shook every hand in sight including that of a policeman who was on the field for crowd control. The most amazing thing was that almost none of the 50,000 fans left when the game was over. They stayed and chanted “We want Mark” over and over. Finally, at the urging of teammates, he went back out and waved to the crowd. Although he seemed genuinely surprised by all the attention, he certainly enjoyed the moment. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player look happier. I think the kid from
June 24
I went to see the Tigers play the Red Sox at
The first three innings were scoreless and Fidrych allowed only one base runner, a single by Carl Yastrzemski. The Bird was doing his thing – talking to the ball, grooming the mound before the inning, congratulating infielders on good plays, extending his arm and aiming the ball towards the catcher before each pitch, etc. I heard one fan a couple rows in front of me saying that it was a bush league act. I, of course, enjoyed every minute of Fidrych’s routines.
The Tigers scored first in the 4th inning when Rusty Staub singled, Jason Thompson doubled and Alex Johnson grounded out. The Red Sox came right back in the bottom of the inning. Cecil Cooper led off with a triple and scored on a grounder to tie the game. Then Fred Lynn and Yaz hit back to back home runs and
The Tigers took back the lead in the sixth when Ben Oglivie singled, Staub doubled and Thompson hit a two run home run, his 9th of the year. That would be all Fidrych needed as he held the Red Sox scoreless the rest of the way. The Tigers added two more runs in the 8th to make the final score 6-3 Tigers.
Fidrych was excellent the last 5 innings allowing 0 runs on just 2 hits. He allowed 7 hits for the game. He is now 7-1 with 7 complete games and a 2.18 ERA (3rd in the league behind Bill Travers and Wayne Garland). The Tigers are now in 5th place with a 30-34 record and 9 ½ games behind.
Fidrych started against Bill Singer and the Twins today. The Twins line-up features one of my favorite players – Rod Carew. He has won 4 consecutive batting titles but is off to somewhat of a slow start this year batting just .309. Their leading hitter at this point is 25 year old Lyman Bostock who is batting .331.
After a scoreless first, Alex Johnson singled with one out in the second, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a double by Aurelio Rodriguez. In the bottom half of the inning, Fidrych walked Larry Hisle and Steve Brye and then Jerry Terrell singled home Hisle to tie the game at 1-1.
The Tigers came right back in the third. With one out, Tom Veryzer and Dan Meyer got back to back singles to put runners on first and second. Then, with two outs, Jason Thompson hit a three run homer into the upper deck in right field to put the Tigers up 4-1. It was his 8th home run of the year. Thompson is starting hit for some good power lately as he has 4 home runs and 10 RBI in his last 5 games.
The Tigers scored again in the 4th when Bruce Kimm walked with two outs and came around to score on a double by Ron Leflore. That made it 5-1 Tigers. Leflore had 3 hits today and now leads the league in batting at .356.
In the bottom of the 6th, Butch Wynegar singled, Mike Cubbage walked and Brye singled home Wynegar to make it 5-2 Tigers. The walk was Fidrych’s 4th of the game. Ernie Harwell commented that Fidrych’s usual pinpoint control was not there today but he was getting the big outs with men on base.
In the top of the 7th, Leflore singled and Veryzer was hit by the pitch to start the inning. With one out, Singer balked the runners to second and third. Staub then hit a sacrifice fly scoring Leflore. Jason Thompson followed with a single for his fourth RBI of the game. That put the Tigers up 7-2.
In the Twins 8th, Fidrych retired the first batter on a grounder but then walked Cubbage and Hisle. Brye followed with a double to score a run to make it 7-3. Then, for the first time this year, Houk removed Fidrych from a start. The Bird walked 6 batters in uncharacteristic bout of wildness today. John Hiller came in to pitch and got out of the inning. He also pitched a scoreless 9th to give the Tigers a 7-3 victory.
Fidrych’s streak of 6 straight complete games came to an end but he is now 6-1 with a 2.07 ERA. He now has enough innings to qualify for the ERA leaders and he ranks second behind Bill Travers of the Brewers (1.85). The Tigers are 27-33. Here are the AL East standings:
| Team | Record | Pct | GB |
| | 37-22 | .627 | -- |
| | 30-29 | .508 | 7 |
| | 30-31 | .492 | 8 |
| | 29-30 | .492 | 8 |
| | 27-33 | .450 | 10 ½ |
| | 24-33 | .421 | 12 |
June 16, 1976
The Tigers played the Royals today and it was Mark “The Bird” Fidrych against Doug Bird. It would be a tough test for Fidrych as
George Brett – 1st in batting average (.356) and triples (6)
Amos Otis – 1st in home runs (12), runs (45) and slugging (.527), 2nd in RBI (43)
Hal McRae – 1st in doubles (16) and on base percentage (.414), 2nd in batting avg (.355)
Freddie Patek – 1st in stolen bases (34)
That’s a really strong offense.
In the Royals first inning, Dave Nelson led off with a single but was caught stealing on a nice throw by Fidrych’s personal catcher Bruce Kimm. Amos Otis followed with a double and then scored when Jason Thompson booted a George Brett grounder. Fidrych, who never seems to get rattled by fielding errors, escaped with no further damage and then set the Royals down 1-2-3 in each of the next 3 innings.
Meanwhile, Jason Thompson made up for his error when he hit his 5th home run of the year tying the score at 1-1 in the 2nd. Thompson hit another home run (his 6th) in the 4th inning to put his team ahead 2-1. It was really good to hear Thompson get those home runs because he was slumping. He had come in to the game batting only .216 and I was worried they would have to demote him to
In the 6th inning, Nelson singled and this time successfully stole second. Nelson then advanced to third on a fly ball by Otis and scored on a Brett grounder. The score was tied at 2-2 after 6.
In the Royals 8th, Jamie Quirk doubled, moved to 3rd on a sacrifice bunt by Buck Martinez and scored on a sacrifice fly by Nelson. This made it 3-2
Fidrych retired the Royals in the top of the 9th so the Tigers came up in the bottom of the inning still down by one. Mark Littell, who replaced Bird in the 6th after he left the game with a sore shoulder, allowed a leadoff single by Dan Meyer. Tom Hall relieved Littell and allowed a 430 fly ball by Rusty Staub. Otis caught it at the warning track but it was deep enough to advance Meyer to second base. Hall then retired Thompson on strikes for the second out. Marty Pattin replaced Hall and Alex Johnson greeted him with a sharp single to right to tie the game. He then stole second. Aurelio Rodriguez was then intentionally walked to set up a force at every base. Mickey Stanley pinch hit for Kimm and looped a single to right scoring Johnson. The Tigers had a 4-3 comeback victory.
June 11, 1976
The Tigers played the Angels today but before I get to that, I’ll talk about yesterday’s transactions. The Tigers traded Gary Sutherland to the Brewers for Pedro Garcia, another second baseman. Garcia is doing no better than Sutherland (they are both hitting about .200 with no power) but he is younger (26 years old) and has more potential. Garcia had a pretty good rookie year in 1973 hitting 15 home runs and a league leading 32 doubles but has not done too much since then. The new Tiger line-up will typically look like this:
Ron Leflore cf
Pedro Garcia 2b
Alex Johnson lf
Rusty Staub dh
Jason Thompson 1b
Ben Oglivie lf
Bill Freehan c
Aurelio Rodriguez 3b
Tom Veryzer ss
The Tigers also purchased Milt Wilcox from the Cubs. Wilcox was a great prospect for the Reds a few years ago but hasn’t developed as expected. The Tigers having nothing lose by trying to revive his career. He’ll be pitching for
In the game today, it was Fidrych versus Nolan Ryan. Ryan is not having a great season so far (4-6 4.25) but everyone knows how dominant he can be when he’s on. It was a pretty big crowd tonight – over 36,000 for Polish American Night at Tiger Stadium.
In the Angels’ first inning, Bobby Bonds singled and stole second. Garcia then got off to a bad start as a Tiger by making an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt. Bonds came all the way around to score. Bonds is not hitting for as much power this year but he is still one of the most exciting players in the game. He’s supposed to be kind of a jerk but I’d love to see him on the Tigers. Fidrych settled down after the error and retired 13 in a row.
Meanwhile, Ryan had no trouble with the Tigers through the first 3 innings – 0 runs, 1 hit and 4 strike outs. In the 4th inning, Ryan struck out the lead off batter Garcia but he reached on a wild pitch. Johnson then struck out for the first out. Rusty Staub followed with a single to put runners on 1st and 2nd. Then the rains came. First there was a 21 minute rain delay. The game resumed only long enough for Ryan to throw 3 pitches and a 34 minute rain delay followed. All the waiting seemed to throw Ryan out of his rhythm as he struggled with his control when he came back out. Thompson drew a walk to load the bases. Ben Oglivie then scored one run on an infield hit and another scored on an infield grounder by Rodriguez. It was 2-1 Tigers after 4 innings. In the fifth inning, Ryan walked 3 batters and another run scored making it 3-1 Tigers. Paul Hartzell replaced him in the 6th.
In the Angels’ 6th, Andy Etcherbarren and Bonds singled. Then Chuck Scrivener made an error on a grounder by Ron Jackson and Etcherbarren scored. Tommy Davis followed with a single to score Bonds. It was tied 3-3 after 6 innings but only one of the runs off Fidrych was earned. Fidrych did a good job recovering from the sloppy play behind him and the Angels did not score any more runs.
On the other side, Hartzell was mowing down the Tigers and it was still a tie score after 8. In the Tigers’ 9th, Dan Meyer popped to third for the first out. Leflore reached on an infield hit. He was then picked off but was safe at second on a throwing error by Hartzell. Garcia moved Leflore to third on an infield grounder. Leflore finally scored on an infield hit by Johnson. The Tigers won 4-3. It was the 3rd straight time the Tigers won the game in their last at bat in a Fidrych start.
It might have been the rain but this was a really sloppy game all around. Nevertheless, it was the 5th consecutive complete game for Fidrych. He has not needed a reliever in any of his starts so far. He is now 4-1 1.84. I know it’s still early and he might have trouble the second time around the league but this is getting exciting. The Bird could be for real.
June 8, 1976
The Tigers beat the Royals 3-1 today as Dave Roberts got a complete game victory. Jason Thompson hit a two run homer, his 4th of the year. Thompson is down to .218 after a hot start. Hopefully, this will get him going again. The Tigers are now 22-27 in 4th place 7 ½ games back. They are only 1 ½ behind the 2nd place Orioles.
The big news of the day happened off the field. First, Willie Horton was placed on the disabled list with a knee problem that hs been bothering him for a long time. Horton’s bat will be missed as he’s batting .299-7-33. The good part about this though is that it will mean more at bats for Dan Meyer and Ben Oglivie.
The other big move of the day was Joe Coleman (2-5 4.86) being sold to the Cubs. Coleman has been pretty lousy for two years so I’m glad to see him go. This team needs to keep getting younger. Fidrych will now be a regular member of the 4 man rotation which is awesome news. Here is the rotation:
Dave Roberts 5-4 3.01
Vern Ruhle 4-2 4.74
Ray Bare 3-4 3.92
Mark Fidrych 3-1 2.03
Finally, the Amatuer draft was held today and the Tigers chose Pat Underwood from Kokomo HS in
2. Alan Trammell
3. Scott Johnson
4. Dan Petry
5. Jack Morris
6.
7. Ozzie Smith
I really don’t know anything about these guys. Hopefully, it will be a good draft for them because they need young talent badly.
June 5, 1976
Fidrych started his 4th game today and once again he had a tough opponent. The Rangers’ starter was Bert Blyleven who was making his first start since being acquired in a 6 player deal with the Twins earlier in the week. Just like, Fidrych’s previous starts, this one was a pitching duel.
The first two innings were scoreless but the Rangers broke through for two runs in the 3rd. Jim Sundberg led off the inning with a single to center. Gene Clines followed with a single to left. Greg Prior then moved the runners over two 2nd and 3rd with a sacrifice bunt. Mike Hargrove grounded to second to score Sundberg. Finally, Toby Harrah doubled to right scoring Clines and the Rangers had a 2-0 lead after 3 innings.
The 4rd and 5th innings went quietly and it was still 2-0 Rangers after 5 innings. In the 6th, Chuck Scrivener drew a lead off walk for the Tigers. Dan Meyer singled to right moving Scrivener to third. Rusty Staub then hit hinto a 4-6-3 double play but Scrivener scored. The Tigers were down 2-1 after 6 innings.
Nobody scored in the 7th. In the 8th, Alex Johnson grounded out to second for the first out but then Scrivener singled to left. Danny Meyer followed with a single to center to advance Scrivener to third base. Staub then singled to right to score Scrivener. The score was tied 2-2 after 8 innings.
In the 9th, Aurelio Rodriguez singled with one out but was left stranded. Fidrych retired the Rangers 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning. So, the game went into extra innings with Fidrych and Blyleven still pitching. Staub reached first on a walk in the 10th but again the Tigers stranded a runner. Fidrych pitched another 1-2-3 inning in the 10th. He had now retired 11 batters in a row.
In the Tiger 11th, Ben Oglivie led off with a single to center. Blyleven struck out Jason Thompson for the first out. Aurelio Rodriguez reached on an error by third baseman Roy Howell and Oglivie went to third. Bruce Kimm then hit a grounder to third. The Brewers tried to turn two instead of coming home but all they could get was the force at second base as Oglivie scored. The Tigers now led 3-2 going into the bottom of the 11th.
Fidrych went out there one more time to face three tough batters in Mike Hargove, Toby Harrah and Jeff Burroughs. Hargrove flied to right, Harrah grounded to second and Burroughs flied to center. That made it 14 Rangers retired in a row by the Bird and the Tigers had a 3-2 victory in 11 innings.
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