Top Tigers: #88 Mark Fidrych
By Blake VandeBunte • Dec 19th, 2008 • Category: Mark Fidrych, Top 100 Tigers- Rank: 88
- Name: Mark Steven Fidrych
- Tigers Tenure: 1976-1980
- Awards: All Star (1976 & 1977), Rookie of the Year (1976), 2nd in Cy Young Voting (1976), and 11th in MVP voting (1976)
- Best Season: 1976. The 1976 Tigers were awful (74-87) but 21 year old pitcher, Mark Fidrych made them relevant all season long. Fidrych got the national media behind him and most of his starts led to Tiger Stadium being near capacity (Even though the Tigers were pretty bad, they still finished fourth in the AL in attendance) and full or reporters. Fidrych ended the season 19-9 and with an ERA of 2.34 (ERA+ 158). His ERA mark led the AL and his win total put him fourth in the league. Not bad for a 21 year old rookie. He also did all of this on top of the pressure put on him by the media. He was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and everyone just loved the guy. Too bad it couldn’t last.
- Good Stuff: That 1976 season was is only full season, but it was a real doozy. Fidrych was arguably the best pitcher in baseball for that season. His 19 wins are even more impressive when you consider that he was on a pretty bad team. Fidrych was so popular that he was the first athlete ever to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. He was loved by both players, fans, and media members for his quick wit and on-the-mound antics. According to Baseball Reference, Fidrych made 18 home starts for the Tigers in 1976 and the attendance at those games accounted for half of the Tigers total home attendance during the season. Never has a player been as popular in Detroit as Mark “The Bird” Fidrych.
- Bad Stuff: He was cashed after only season in the majors. Injures took a major toll on Fidrych’s career and he was never the same after 1976. Fidrych was driven hard by the Tigers manager, Ralph Houk. He threw over 250 innings in his rookie season and often pitched on only three days rest. This abuse of Fidrych’s arm is especially puzzling considering the Tigers were well out of the playoff chase. Fidrych suffered a knee injury and then a shoulder injury. The should injury (torn rotator cuff) was the death blow to his brief career.
- Place In Tigers History: Even though is career was very brief, it’s safe to say that Fidrych will never be forgotten. He’s one of those guys that everyone seems to have a story about. He will live forever in the pages of the big time papers and magazines that covered him during that 1976 season. While he only played for a short time, the Tigers were very lucky to have him in their organization.
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Blake VandeBunte is a posting fiend.
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Fidrych’s 1976 season is one I’ll never forget. It’s right up there with 84,87 and 06 among my best Tigers memories.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm_jU0b5Hgw
[...] In December, I ranked Fidrych as the 88th best Tiger in club history in my Top 100 Tigers list. A profile of Fidrych can be found by clicking here. [...]