Former MLB Pitcher Fidrych Dead at 54

[Jack Flash]

In 1976 I was a frequent visitor to Tiger Stadium. I well remember the excitement when a gawky kid would take the mound, pitching for a 5th place team, and sell every seat in the stadium. IIRC, he was earning the Major League Minimum, which at the time was $16,000 / year.

Goodbye, Big Bird!

BOSTON (AP) - Former All-Star pitcher Mark "the Bird" Fidrych was found dead Monday in an apparent accident at his farm. He was 54.

Worcester County district attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. said a family friend found Fidrych about 2:30 p.m. Monday beneath a pickup truck at his Northborough, Mass., farm. He appeared to be working on the truck, Early said.

The colorful right-hander was the American League rookie of the year in 1976 when he went 19-9 with a 2.34 ERA. He spent all five of his major league seasons with the Detroit Tigers, compiling a 29-19 record and a 3.10 ERA.

His career was cut short by injuries.

Fidrych attempted a comeback in 1983 with the Boston Red Sox and went to their Triple A team in Pawtucket, R.I. But he never pitched in the majors after 1980 and retired in 1983.

The Worcester, Mass., native later owned a trucking business.

Fidrych acquired the nickname "the Bird" because of his resemblance to the Big Bird character on the Sesame Street television show. During games, he would bend down and groom the mound with his hands, appear to talk to the baseball and slap high fives with teammates in the middle of the diamond.

He started the 1976 All-Star game after opening the season with seven wins in eight decisions. He finished that season with 24 complete games.

But he tore knee cartilage during spring training the following year and was placed on the disabled list until May 24. He sustained a shoulder injury in July 1977 and ended up pitching in just 58 games during his major league career.

State police detectives are investigating the circumstances of his death, Early said.

 

[Jack Flash]

In 1976 I was a frequent visitor to Tiger Stadium. I well remember the excitement when a gawky kid would take the mound, pitching for a 5th place team, and sell every seat in the stadium. IIRC, he was earning the Major League Minimum, which at the time was $16,000 / year.

Goodbye, Big Bird!

BOSTON (AP) - Former All-Star pitcher Mark "the Bird" Fidrych was found dead Monday in an apparent accident at his farm. He was 54.

Worcester County district attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. said a family friend found Fidrych about 2:30 p.m. Monday beneath a pickup truck at his Northborough, Mass., farm. He appeared to be working on the truck, Early said.

The colorful right-hander was the American League rookie of the year in 1976 when he went 19-9 with a 2.34 ERA. He spent all five of his major league seasons with the Detroit Tigers, compiling a 29-19 record and a 3.10 ERA.

His career was cut short by injuries.

Fidrych attempted a comeback in 1983 with the Boston Red Sox and went to their Triple A team in Pawtucket, R.I. But he never pitched in the majors after 1980 and retired in 1983.

The Worcester, Mass., native later owned a trucking business.

Fidrych acquired the nickname "the Bird" because of his resemblance to the Big Bird character on the Sesame Street television show. During games, he would bend down and groom the mound with his hands, appear to talk to the baseball and slap high fives with teammates in the middle of the diamond.

He started the 1976 All-Star game after opening the season with seven wins in eight decisions. He finished that season with 24 complete games.

But he tore knee cartilage during spring training the following year and was placed on the disabled list until May 24. He sustained a shoulder injury in July 1977 and ended up pitching in just 58 games during his major league career.

State police detectives are investigating the circumstances of his death, Early said.

 

[Markcuda]

friend found Fidrych about 2:30 p.m. Monday beneath a pickup truck at his Northborough, Mass., farm.

I vote he was not using jack stands.

 

[mtgianni]

RIP Bird. He was certainly fun to watch.

 

[redlevel]

I enjoyed watching Fidrych's antics on the mound. He was a breath of fresh air in a sport that was already becoming more of a business.

There was another 70s icon who passed away yesterday or the day before. Marilyn Chambers, star of "Behind the Green Door."

Like Fidrych, she was a top performer in her chosen profession.

 

[Broker57]

Red, that's pretty darn funny because at the same time I forwarded the Fidrych obit to a friend of mine he forwarded Marilyn's to me.

They say it comes in threes, so I wonder who's next? Let's say I have some people on my "wish list" but I won't offer them here.

Mark, first thing I thought too. I'll never forget when I was 16 I was replacing the U-joints on my '67 Olds; I just had the rear bumper jacked up in the air. My dad, who has never touched a wrench in his life, came home and gave me holy hell (rightfully so) because he had often witnessed the end result of such stupidity. Needless to say I now indulge in overkill. I have 6 ton jackstands to hold a 1600 lb car in the air

 

[Markcuda]

Broker57,I think we had the same dad

I would be working under my 63 Ford Galixy 500, and my dad would harp to me about juck stands.
I had a 69 Barracuda(hence my screen name) and I was under that puting Por-15 on with a brush and I would some times stop and think back when I was a kid, I just can't amagine being under a car and the darn thing fall, what a way to die

 

[dasnake]

rip bird.

marilyn, to bad you could make the changeover you wanted, rip.

 

[Community]

RIP the Bird. I loved to watch him pitch and talk to the ball. a breath of fresh air.

 

[Dyerbill]

I had relatives in Michigan and my grandfather never talked about any baseball players but the Bird and Al Kaline.

 

[Jack Flash]

As I said, I was living in Detroit at that time and it's hard to overstate his popularity that summer. He was basically an overgrown hyperactive kid, known for zany, outrageous behavior, on and off the field. (Remember, baseball was still pretty straight-laced in those days, especially in Detroit.)

He was arguably the best pitcher in the majors that year (certainly in the AL). His salary was a whopping $16,000, while any other pitcher who was even close to his record (19-9) was making millions. A lot of us thought Bird deserved the Cy Young Award. IIRC, it was awarded to Jim Palmer that year, for his record of 21 wins. But Palmer pitched for a pretty good team, not the lowly Tigers, with their shaky defense and weak-stick offense.

 

[tom turner]

He was the most exciting pitcher who ever took the mound.

To watch him was to be electrified by his quirkiness . . .

Talking to the baseballs to tell 'em where to go, exuberantly playing the game and all the weirdness . . . PEOPLE ABSOLUTELY LOVED WATCHING THE GUY, including me.

During that magical year of 1976, the lowly Tigers started showing up on tvs all over the country when the Bird started getting all the buzz to rise to extreme popularity.

Through the years I tried to follow his sad, post-baseball story. He seemed to be just a goofy guy whose only great gift was throwing a baseball and connecting with fans. He had little success in anything after he got injured.

Had he not gotten injured, and had he enjoyed a full career I'm sure he'd have gone down in history with nearly a rock-star status.

Bird . . . thanks for the memories . . . and I hope your restored body will allow you to talk to magical fastballs again that no one can hit . . . and that you again bring people such joy . . . on a warm summer night on the fields in Heaven.

T.