Michael James Mahler (born July 30, 1952) is a retired
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
. He played during eight seasons at the major league level for the
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...
,
Pittsburgh Pirates,
California Angels,
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...
,
Detroit Tigers,
Texas Rangers, and
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
. A graduate of Trinity University in San Antonio, he was drafted by the Braves in the 10th round of the 1974 amateur draft. Mahler played his first professional season with their Double-A
Savannah Braves
The Savannah Braves were a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves from 1971 to 1983. They were located in Savannah, Georgia, and played their home games at Grayson Stadium. The franchis ...
in 1974, and his last with the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
' Triple-A
Louisville Redbirds
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
in 1987. He is the brother of the late pitcher
Rick Mahler. The brothers were teammates playing for the Triple-A
Richmond Braves before each was called up to Atlanta.
Mahler threw hard and had a big slow 12-6 curveball. Though hardly a distinguished major leaguer, he was involved in a number of historic moments during his short career.
Pitching in a game with his brother
On September 25, 1979, Mahler and his brother,
Rick Mahler, appeared in a major league game together as Braves teammates, in a game against the Houston Astros at
Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium
Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, often referred to as Fulton County Stadium and originally named Atlanta Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in the southeastern United States, located in Atlanta. The stadium was home of the Atlanta Braves of th ...
. Mickey Mahler gave up two runs in two innings, while his brother, Rick, pitched one scoreless inning.
One-hit shutout in 1985
On June 5, 1985, Mahler pitched the best game of his major league career, a one-hitter for the Expos in his first big league shutout in a 6–0 victory over the Giants at
Candlestick Park
Candlestick Park was an outdoor stadium on the West Coast of the United States, located in San Francisco's Bayview Heights area. The stadium was originally the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 ...
. Mahler yielded his lone hit to
Dan Gladden
Clinton Daniel Gladden III (born July 7, 1957) is an American former Major League Baseball player and current radio broadcaster. He was the starting left fielder with the Minnesota Twins' two World Series Championship teams in 1987 and 1991.
Base ...
. It also was Mahler's first complete game since 1979. "So much of the game is luck," Mahler told reporters after the game. "I didn't feel I pitched that well--not that I pitched that badly--but the wind here can help a pitcher. It held up a lot of balls that might have been hit out or gone through the gaps in the outfield. I owe a lot of appreciation to the people in the Montreal organization who gave me the opportunity to pitch in the majors again. I felt like I had a lot to prove to people with other clubs that didn't keep me. No matter what I do from now on, they can't take away that game I just pitched."
Mahler pitched two no-hitters while in the minor leagues. On June 1, 1977, Mahler threw a no-hitter for the
Richmond Braves AAA team against the
Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...
. In 1974 he no-hit the Birmingham Barons (Double A team for the Oakland A's) of the Southern League.
Other noteworthy outings
On September 18, 1985, Mahler pitched innings of one-hit relief to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 5–2 victory over the New York Yankees, thus denying a bid by
Phil Niekro
Philip Henry Niekro ( ; April 1, 1939 – December 26, 2020), nicknamed "Knucksie", was an American baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball, 20 of them with the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves. Niekro's 318 career victor ...
to win his 300th game. Mahler, who relieved
Juan Berenguer
Juan Bautista Berenguer (born November 30, 1954) is a former Panamanian long relief pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for eight teams from 1978 to 1992. Listed at 5'11 , 200 lb. , Berenguer batted and threw right-handed. He was ...
after he got into trouble in the first inning, retired 23 of the 25 hitters he faced, including the first 15 hitters who came up against him. A former teammate of Niekro's, Mahler told reporters after the game that "The thing I remember most about (Niekro) is what a great guy he was. I didn't think about the Niekro thing at all. I hated to be the one to beat him but that's the game."
In that same game, New York Yankees manager
Billy Martin
Alfred Manuel Martin Jr. (May 16, 1928 – December 25, 1989), commonly called "Billy", was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager who, in addition to leading other teams, was five times the manager of the New York Yan ...
sent left-handed-hitter
Mike Pagliarulo up to bat right-handed against Mahler. Detroit Tigers catcher
Bob Melvin was reported to have asked Pagliarulo, "What the hell are you doing?" Pagliarulo's reply: "I'm trying to get a base hit!" Ultimately, however, Pagliarulo took a called third strike.
On July 7, 1986, Mahler gave up the 2,000th hit to
Dave Winfield
David Mark Winfield (born October 3, 1951) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) right fielder. He is the special assistant to the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association. Over his 22-year career, he play ...
.
On September 2, 1986, Mahler plunked
Brett Butler in the shoulder and immediately was removed the game, which Mahler's Blue Jays lost 9–5 to the Cleveland Indians. He would only pitch in one more game.
Witticisms
Throughout his career, Mahler had a rapport with the press. In 1986, he told USA Today, "If I were commissioner, I'd send every major league player down to Triple-A after three years to see how good they have it now," only to be sent down to Triple-A the following day, on July 29, 1986.
In 1986, after hitting Cleveland's
Brett Butler with a pitch, Mahler told reporters, "The thing is, the signal here for the fastball is the signal for the curve in Texas and Oklahoma. When I got the sign, my mind said 'curve.' I took my grip, went into the stretch, kicked up the leg and, right in the middle of my motion, it dawned on me 'fastball.' I wound up trying to change my grip mid-motion."
In reflecting on his career as a journeyman, Mahler told the
Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...
in 1986: "It's not a pleasant way to spend a career, but the memories will be incredible. I've played with Reggie Jackson and Rod Carew and Dale Murphy, I've learned from Tom House and (Johnny) Sain, the two best pitching coaches in the business. I've been around, seen the best. It's not so bad a life. This is the best job in the world and I'll do anything they say - chalk the field before the game, sweep the dugout."
External links
Pelota Binaria (Venezuelan Winter League)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahler, Mickey
1952 births
Living people
American expatriate baseball players in Canada
Atlanta Braves players
Baseball players from Montgomery, Alabama
Bradenton Explorers players
California Angels players
Cardenales de Lara players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Daytona Beach Explorers players
Detroit Tigers players
Edmonton Trappers players
Indianapolis Indians players
Leones del Escogido players
American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic
Louisville Redbirds players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Montreal Expos players
Nashville Sounds players
Pittsburgh Pirates players
Portland Beavers players
Richmond Braves players
Salt Lake City Gulls players
Savannah Braves players
Texas Rangers players
Toronto Blue Jays players
Trinity Tigers baseball players