Mike Cuellar - WikiHQ

Miguel Ángel Cuellar Santana (; May 8, 1937 – April 2, 2010) was a Cuban professional baseball player. He played for 15 seasons in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher in 1959 and from 1964 through 1977, most prominently as a member of the Baltimore Orioles who won the American League (AL) pennant in each of Cuellar's first three seasons with the team. During that time, Cuellar and the Orioles won the 1970 World Series. Cuellar also played for the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros and California Angels.

Cuellar and Denny McLain each won the AL Cy Young Award in 1969, due to a tie in the voting. For the Orioles, Cuellar won 20-or-more games in a season four times from 1969 through 1974. Along with Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, and Pat Dobson, he was one of four Oriole starters to win at least 20 games in 1971. Cuellar, nicknamed "Crazy Horse" because of his superstitious nature, ranks among Baltimore's top five career leaders in wins (143), strikeouts (1,011), shutouts (30) and innings pitched (2,028). In 1982, Cuellar was inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.

Life and career

Early life and first stints in the majors

Miguel Angel Cuellar Santana was born in Santa Clara, Cuba, on May 8, 1937. Cuellar struck out seven Montreal Royals in just over two innings of work in his first game with Havana in 1957. Used as a starting pitcher and as a relief pitcher (44 games, 16 starts), he posted an 8–7 record and led the IL in earned run average (ERA) with a 2.44 mark. The next season, he had a 2.77 ERA and a 13–12 record, pitching 220 innings. Part of Cincinnati's roster to begin the season, Cuellar made his major league debut with Cincinnati against the Philadelphia Phillies at Crosley Field on April 18, 1959. He entered the contest in relief of Don Newcombe in the second inning with the Reds losing 4–2. In his two innings of work, Cuellar surrendered a grand slam to Gene Freese in the third and a two-run double to Al Schroll in the fourth. The Reds went on to lose 14–9. His only other appearance with the Reds came three days later against the Milwaukee Braves. Again he pitched two innings in relief, giving up two runs as the Reds lost 7–4. After that, he was returned to Havana; it would be several years before he pitched in the major leagues again. Though his 11 losses were tied with four others for eighth in the league, he ranked eighth with a 2.80 ERA and fifth with 220 innings pitched. Havana won the IL championship and defeated the Minneapolis Millers in the Junior World Series. In 33 games (21 starts) for the franchise, Cuellar had a 6–9 record, a 3.53 ERA, and 74 strikeouts in 148 innings pitched. One of these came in the second game of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates; Cuellar allowed five runs in innings but earned the win (his first) in a 12–5 Cardinal victory. Cuellar also beat the Pirates on August 26, this time allowing just two runs in a complete game, 4–2 victory. Freese, who had hit a grand slam off of Cuellar five years earlier, made the last out. The hitter said that "he's a lot faster and has come with quite a scroogie".

In 1965, Cuellar failed to make the Cardinals roster and was assigned to Jacksonville to begin the year. With the Suns, he posted a 2.51 ERA and a 9–1 record. His record for the season was 1–4, and he struck out 46 batters in 56 innings, posting a 3.54 ERA. After Cuellar posted a 1.29 ERA in his first four starts, manager Grady Hatton said: "I've created a monster". Hatton explained: "For a while, all Cuellar wanted to do was throw screwballs. But this year, he's mixing 'em up with fast balls and curves, and making the batters hit the ball. He's got good control and a good fast ball, and he's finally making use of them." Cuellar had learned the curveball from Astro pitching coach Gordon Jones, and he was also throwing his screwball on 50-60 percent of his pitches. He suffered two close losses during the campaign. On August 12, he held the San Francisco Giants to four hits and one run in eight innings, but Gaylord Perry of the Giants threw a 92-pitch shutout. On September 10, he and Don Drysdale of the Dodgers held each other's teams scoreless through nine innings; Cuellar took the loss when he gave up a run in the 10th. Cuellar threw his first major league shutout on August 29, defeating the Pirates by a score of 2–0. Cuellar finished with a 12–10 record, 175 strikeouts, and a 2.22 ERA, (second in the National League (NL) to Sandy Koufax' 1.73).

Following a loss on May 17, 1967, Cuellar won six straight games, posting a 1.18 ERA over the span. The first of these was a 2–0 shutout of the Giants on May 21. He made the first of four All-Star Game appearances at Anaheim Stadium on July 11. He came into the contest in relief of Chris Short in the 11th. Of the seven batters he faced, the only baserunner he allowed in the two shutout innings he pitched was Carl Yastrzemski, who recorded a 12th-inning single. The NL eventually won 2–1 in 15 innings. On July 24, Cuellar had held the Phillies to one hit and no runs through eight innings, as Houston led 1–0. During the ninth, Philadelphia manager Gene Mauch called him a name from the dugout, hoping to start a fight and get both players ejected. Eddie Mathews of Houston acted as a peacemaker, but Cuellar would allow an unearned run in the inning (due to a Mathews error). However, he finished the game, allowing only two hits total as Houston prevailed 2–1 in 11 innings. He threw back-to-back shutouts on September 22 and 27 against the New York Mets and Philadelphia; the latter of these was an 11-inning game in which he struck out 12.

After the major league seasons, Cuellar had typically played winter baseball in Latin America over the offseasons. However, the Astros asked him not to do so in the 1967-68 offseason because they thought he was pitching too much. When he returned to the team in 1968, he complained of arm soreness. On May 30, he threw a seven-hit shutout against the Braves in an 11–0 victory. He struck out a season-high 12 on June 21 and held the Phillies to one unearned run in a complete game, 2–1 victory. As the pitcher joined fellow starters Jim Palmer and Dave McNally, and sluggers Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson and Boog Powell, the Orioles began a three-year run atop the American League (AL) in 1969. He threw 10 innings in another game on April 23 (this one a 3–2 win over the Tigers), then threw a shutout against the Yankees four days later. On June 17 and 21, Cuellar pitched a pair of complete-game four-hit, one-run victories, striking out 12 and nine batters respectively. He held the Red Sox to three hits on July 12 in a 4–0 shutout. In August, Cuellar retired 35 batters in a row. The streak was ended on August 10 by César Tovar of the Minnesota Twins, as Cuellar was three outs away from recording his first career no-hitter; Tovar's hit, which came in the top of ninth inning, was the only one the Twins would manage against Cuellar in his complete-game shutout (a 2–0 victory). Cuellar's 23 wins ranked second in the AL to Denny McLain's 24, his 2.38 ERA ranked third (behind Dick Bosman's 2.19 and Palmer's 2.34), and his 182 strikeouts tied Joe Coleman for fifth. His five shutouts were third behind McLain's nine and Palmer's six. For his outstanding year, Cuellar tied McLain for the AL Cy Young Award. Cuellar became the first pitcher born in Latin America to win the Cy Young Award. Cuellar again got the start in Game 1, allowing one run over four innings and outpitching Tom Seaver in a 4–1 victory. The two faced off again in Game 4; Cuellar pitched seven innings, allowing just a home run to Donn Clendenon, but the Orioles were losing 1–0 when Cuellar exited the game. Brooks Robinson tied the game with a sacrifice fly in the ninth, taking Cuellar off the hook for the loss, but the Orioles lost the game 2–1 in 10 innings. In the next game, the Mets completed one of the biggest World Series upsets ever, winning the 1969 Series four games to one against the heavily favored Orioles. Cuellar's triumph in Game One wound up being the only Baltimore victory. Twice in the first half of the season, he allowed only two hits in a game, on May 24 and June 11 (both Oriole wins). He threw a four-hit shutout against the Tigers on July 3, then pitched all 10 innings of a 6–2 victory over the Yankees four days later. Through June, his ERA was 4.34 (though his record was 8–5), but Cuellar only lost three times for the rest of the season while winning 16 more games and posting a 2.78 ERA. On August 27, Cuellar became the second pitcher in the AL (after teammate McNally) to win 20 games, allowing 10 hits but earning the win in a 6–4 victory over the Athletics. He threw his fourth shutout of the season on September 9, necessary for Baltimore's 1–0 victory over the Yankees. Cuellar's win–loss record was 24–8 in 1970; he recorded a 3.48 ERA and 190 strikeouts. He led the AL in games started (40, tied with four others), and complete games (21), also ranking among the AL leaders in strikeouts (fifth), shutouts (four, tied with two others for third), and innings pitched (, third, behind Palmer and Sam McDowell's 305). However, Cuellar finished in fourth place in the voting for the American League Cy Young Award. "He should have won the Cy that year, but not doing so never affected his performance," teammate Palmer opined.

Cuellar had a rocky start in Game 2 of the 1970 World Series against the Reds, lasting only innings and giving up four runs (though only one was earned). However, Baltimore rallied to win the game 6–5. In Game 5, Cuellar was hit hard early, giving up three runs to the Reds in the first inning. It was then that his pitching coach, George Bamberger, advised Cuellar to stop throwing his screwball for the rest of the game. Cuellar settled himself down and followed Bamberger's advice by relying on his fastball, curveball, and changeup, to shut out the Reds for the next eight innings for an impressive 9-3 complete game victory that clinched the World Series title for the Orioles. Forty years later, reporter Mike Klingaman wrote, "Of his 185 big league victories, none meant more than that World Series win to Cuellar." He took pleasure in a complete game, 3–2 win over the Indians on May 26. Earlier in the year, Cleveland manager Alvin Dark had said that Cuellar's fastball "couldn't blacken an eye." He won 11 decisions in a row from May 12 through July 8, posting a 2.17 ERA in that span. The first of these was a 6–0 shutout of the Kansas City Royals on May 12 in which Jerry May had the only hit off of him, a third-inning single. He shut out the Milwaukee Brewers on June 4, then held the Minnesota Twins to one run in a complete game, 2–1 victory five days later. With a 13–1 record and a 2.88 ERA in the first half, Cuellar was selected to his third All-Star Game. He held the White Sox to four hits on August 24 in a 1–0 shutout. In 1971, Cuellar's regular-season win–loss record was 20–9, and he had a 3.08 ERA and 124 strikeouts. Palmer and McNally each won 20 games again, and newcomer Dobson did so as well, making the Orioles the first team to have four twenty-game winners since the 1921 Chicago White Sox. Though Cuellar did not get any Cy Young votes, he finished 24th in AL MVP voting. In Game 3, Cuellar allowed five runs (four earned) in six innings, suffering the defeat in the 5–1 loss. He allowed just two runs over eight innings in Game 7, but Steve Blass of the Pirates allowed only one run, and Pittsburgh won the series as Cuellar suffered a difficult loss.

1972–76

On May 26, 1972, Cuellar threw a four-hit shutout in a 2–0 victory over the Indians. He won only two of his first nine games in 1972, though his ERA was 3.50. Though striking out only two Yankees on June 28, he allowed five hits and no runs in a 4–0 shutout. A little over a month later, he allowed just three hits in a 5–0 shutout of the Yankees on July 30. On August 11, he struck out a season-high 13 batters in a 2–1 win over Boston. From August 25 through September 16, he won five straight decisions for the Orioles.

Cuellar got off to a 2–6 start in 1973, posting a 5.00 ERA through June 9. He held the Texas Rangers to three hits on June 15 in a 1–0 shutout. Ten days later, he pitched all 12 innings of a 4–3 win over the Brewers. On July 19, he struck out 12 batters and pitched all 11 innings of a 3–1 victory over the Angels. He threw a five-hit shutout against the White Sox on August 18 in a 3–0 victory. From August 9 through September 1, he won six starts in a row; after losing on September 5, he won his last four decisions of the year. In 38 starts, he had an 18–13 record, a 3.27 ERA, and 140 strikeouts in 267 innings. Despite a broken toe, he was ready for the start of the season. After losing all three of his April decisions, he won nine straight decisions before finally suffering another loss on June 21. Included in that streak were two shutouts: a rain-shortened seven-inning game against Boston on May 17 and a 1–0 victory over the Twins on June 17. He was selected to the All-Star Game for the fourth time in his career. On August 15, he struck out a season-high 10 batters and held the White Sox to six hits and one run in a complete game, 2–1 victory. After a loss on August 24, Cuellar won seven of his last nine games, and the two he did not get the decision in were also Oriole victories. Cuellar had a great season in , finishing with a win–loss record of 22–10, a 3.11 ERA, and 106 strikeouts. From 1969 through 1974, Cuellar's .665 winning percentage was the best in the major leagues.

Again, the Orioles won the Eastern Division and faced the Athletics in the ALCS. In Game 1, Cuellar gave up three runs over eight innings, pitching craftily and earning the victory as the Orioles won 6–3. He allowed just one hit in Game 4, but his control was not good; he walked nine hitters and was lifted in the fifth inning after walking in a run. The Athletics only scored one more all game, but that was enough for a series-clinching, 2–1 win. It would be Cuellar's final postseason start; in playoff games, he had gone 4–4 and posted a 2.85 ERA. On May 31, a third-inning single by Bruce Bochte was the only hit Cuellar allowed in a 1–0, shutout victory over the Angels. He gave up six hits in a shutout of the Red Sox on June 22, a 6–0 victory in the first game of a doubleheader. After the Tigers knocked Cuellar out in the second inning of a game on June 26, 1975, he returned three days later and held Detroit to five hits and one run in a complete game, 2–1 victory. On July 26, he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Brewers and finished with one hit allowed (a single to George Scott) and 10 strikeouts in a 4–0 victory over the Brewers. He allowed just two hits on August 11 in a 4–0 shutout of the Royals. On September 2, in the first game of a doubleheader against Cleveland, he pitched all 10 innings, allowing 11 hits but just two runs as the Orioles won 3–2. Cuellar's ERA in 1975 was 3.66, the highest it had been since 1964-though his five shutouts tied his career high, his pitching was not as consistent as usual.

By 1976, Cuellar was 39 years old, and his age negatively impacted his performance. After posting a 4–12 record and a 5.14 ERA through the end of July, he was moved to the bullpen. He made five relief appearances for the Orioles in August, then did not pitch at all once the Orioles made their September call-ups.

California Angels (1977), later career

On January 25, 1977, Cuellar was signed by the California Angels. In a start against the Yankees on May 3, Cuellar allowed seven hits and six runs in innings, taking the loss in an 8–1 defeat. He was released on May 16, having only appeared in two games. Plagued by financial troubles and visa issues, the league folded on June 30. Cuellar continued to play in Puerto Rican winter leagues and the Mexican League through 1983 before retiring for good. While in Puerto Rico in 1983, he taught Willie Hernández how to throw a screwball. Hernández would win the AL Cy Young and MVP Awards in 1984.

During his 15-season career, Cuellar had a win–loss record of 185–130 with a 3.14 ERA, 1,632 strikeouts, 172 complete games, 36 shutouts, and 11 saves in 453 games and 2,808 innings pitched. In five American League Championship Series and three World Series appearances, Cuellar pitched in 12 games, winning four games and losing four with a 2.85 ERA while recording 56 strikeouts. In 2016, they said he had the fifth-best screwball of all time. Ken McMullen of the Angels said: "Cuellar's screwball is a pitch nobody else in baseball throws, and he can change speeds on it".

After his baseball career ended, Cuellar resided in the Orlando, Florida, metropolitan area. He worked at a golf course, also helping out during Orioles' spring training each year.

Legacy

Along with Palmer and McNally, Cuellar gave the Orioles one of the best starting rotations in history during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Blair recalled that "With Cuellar, McNally, and Palmer, you could almost ring up 60 wins for us when the season started because each of them was going to win 20. And with Cuellar and McNally, you never knew they were winning 10-0 or losing 0-10. They were the same guys. They were two really great left-handers, and the reason they were so great was they didn't have the talent Palmer had. They didn't have the 95-mile-per-hour fastball Palmer had. They had to learn to pitch, know the hitters, hit corners, and they did it. And they never complained. Those kind of guys, you just die for. You break your neck to go out there and win for them.” He is among the Orioles' single-season records in other categories, as well. His 24 wins in 1970 are tied for second-most behind Steve Stone's 25 in 1981, and Cuellar holds two of the other top 10 win seasons as well (his 23 in 1969 are tied for sixth, and his 22 in 1974 are tied for ninth). He is one of four Orioles to make 40 starts in a season.

"Crazy Horse" was a nickname given Cuellar by his Oriole teammates because of his superstitious nature. Each game, he would sit in the same place on the team bench. He stayed in the dugout until his catcher put his gear on, refused to step on the foul line, and refrained from signing autographs on days he was pitching.

Notes

References

External links

The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia – Gary Gillette, Peter Gammons, Pete Palmer. Publisher: Sterling Publishing, 2005. Format: Paperback, 1824pp. Language: English.