Richard Keith Mahler (August 5, 1953 – March 2, 2005) was a starting pitcher in

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), ...

who played 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 ...

(1979–1988, 1991), Cincinnati Reds (1989–1990) and

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 ...

(1991). His brother

Mickey Mickey is a given name and nickname, almost always masculine and often a short form (hypocorism) of Michael, and occasionally a surname. Notable people and characters with the name include: People Given name or nickname Men * Mickey Andrews (bor ...

was a major league pitcher as well; the two were Braves teammates in 1979. The brothers had also played together for the Triple-A Richmond Braves. In his 13-year career, Mahler posted a 96–111 record with 952 strikeouts and a 3.99

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

in 1951.1 innings. Born in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, Mahler graduated from John Jay High School and then attended Trinity University, both in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. After being signed by the Braves as an amateur free agent in 1975, he made his debut in the 1979 season. Mahler started on opening day for the Braves in 1982, when Atlanta won the

National League West The National League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was formed for the 1969 season when the National League expanded to 12 teams by adding the San Diego Padres and the Montreal Expos. For purpose of keeping a re ...

title. He made four straight opening day starts beginning in 1985. In 1987, he tied an NL record with his third opening day

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

. His best season came in 1984, when he went 13-10 with a 3.12 ERA while hitting .296 at the plate. In 1985, he won his first 7 straight starts and ended up 17-15 with a 3.48 ERA. He pitched twice in the postseason, with the Braves in 1982, and with the

1990 World Series The 1990 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1990 season. The 87th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the defending champions and heavily favored American League (AL) ...

champion Cincinnati Reds. In postseason play, Mahler pitched scoreless innings. Mahler was a key member of the 1990 Reds' pitching staff as a spot starter and reliever, going 7–6 and contributing four saves. He also appeared in ten games with the

in 1991 before returning to Atlanta in mid-season. After retiring, Mahler served as a minor league pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals and the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fran ...

, and he was a roving instructor for 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 ...

. He also managed St. Louis' Double-A affiliate in the

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from 1996 to 1997. Mahler died at age 51 of a

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at home in

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, where he was preparing for his second season as a minor league pitching coach for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

.Obituary
''The Deadball Era''. Retrieved on April 21, 2016.

References

External links

, o

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Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahler, Rick 1953 births 2005 deaths American expatriate baseball players in Canada Atlanta Braves players Baseball coaches from Texas Baseball players from Austin, Texas Cardenales de Lara players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Cincinnati Reds players Greenwood Braves players Kingsport Braves players Major League Baseball pitchers Minor league baseball coaches Minor league baseball managers Montreal Expos players Nashville Sounds players Richmond Braves players Savannah Braves players Tiburones de La Guaira players Trinity Tigers baseball players Trinity University (Texas) alumni