Michael Kendall Flanagan (December 16, 1951 – August 24, 2011) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

left-handed

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 ...

front office The front office is the part of a company that comes in contact with clients, such as the marketing, sales, and service departments. The term has more specific meaning in different industries. Types General offices The function of front office ...

executive, and

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main ( play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and ...

. He spent 18 years as a player 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), ...

(MLB) with the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

(1975–1987, 1991–1992) and the

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 ...

(1987–1990). Flanagan was a starting pitcher for the Orioles from 1975 through 1987. He was named to the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

(AL) All-Star Team once in 1978. In 1979, the first of two years he would play on an AL pennant winner, his 23 victories led the circuit and earned him the AL's Cy Young Award. He was a member of the Orioles' World Series Championship team in 1983. During the 1987 season, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, with whom he pitched through 1990. He returned to Baltimore to close out his playing career as a

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

in 1991 and 1992. During this second tour, he combined with three other pitchers to throw a no-hitter against the Oakland Athletics on July 13, 1991. He was also the last Orioles pitcher to appear in a major-league contest at Memorial Stadium. In an 18-season career, Flanagan posted a 167–143 record with 1,491 strikeouts and a 3.90 ERA in 2,770 innings pitched. He served in three different positions with the Orioles after his retirement as an active player. He was the pitching coach in

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

and

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

and the executive vice president of baseball operations from 2006 through

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. At the time of his death, he was one of the team's broadcasters, a role he had previously held three times (1994, 1996–1997, and 1999–2002).

Early years

Born and raised in

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644. Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Ha ...

, Mike was one of four children born to Ed and Lorraine Flanagan, the younger of their two sons. His grandfather, Ed Sr., had been a

in the Boston Braves organization who could throw with both hands, and his father Ed had played minor league ball in the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

and Detroit Tigers systems. Under their tutelage, Flanagan once

struck out In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is denote ...

18 batters in a six inning

Little League Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Flanagan graduated from Manchester (NH) Memorial High School, where he was on the baseball and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

teams that each won consecutive New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association (NHIAA) Class L titles in 1970 and 1971. His pitching was limited in 1971 because of a left elbow injury he had sustained while playing American Legion Baseball for the local Henry J. Sweeney Post the previous summer. This factored into him not signing a contract after he was picked by the Houston Astros in the 15th round (346th overall) of the 1971 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft.

University of Massachusetts

Flanagan attended the

University of Massachusetts The University of Massachusetts is the five-campus public university system and the only public research system in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes five campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and a medical ...

(UMass), where he played baseball for the Minutemen in 1972 and 1973. He was a first-team All-

Yankee Conference The Yankee Conference was a collegiate sports conference in the eastern United States. From 1947 to 1976, it sponsored competition in many sports, but was a American football, football-only league from mid-1976 until its dissolution in 1996. It is ...

and first team All-New England selection in 1973, when he posted a 9–1 record with a 1.72

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) and 89 strikeouts, leading the Yankee Conference in all 3 categories. His .900 winning percentage was the best school single-season mark until Scott Meaney had a 6–0 record in 1990. Flanagan had a career ERA of 1.19 and a career winning percentage of .923 (12–1), which are both still the best marks in school history. In addition to pitching for UMass, Flanagan played in the

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In cricket, baseball a ...

. Offensively, he batted .320 in 128 at bats with six home runs and 29

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

(RBI). As a freshman, Flanagan played basketball at UMass on the same Freshmen team as

Rick Pitino Richard Andrew Pitino (born September 18, 1952) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach for Iona College. He was also the head coach of Greece's senior national team. He has been the head coach of several teams in NCAA ...

. Flanagan and Pitino crossed paths with

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

, who was a junior on the Varsity at the time. Flanagan said, "I really didn’t know much about Dr. J until I came down on a fast break and pulled up to take a jump shot. Dr. J was nowhere in the area but, out of nowhere, he blocked the shot and nine players were running the other way. First thing I thought? Better work on my

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

, because this is a whole different level of play." He received his degree from the UMass College of Education in 1975, and he was inducted into the UMass Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000. He was a pitcher and outfielder for the

Falmouth Commodores The Falmouth Commodores are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Falmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Commodores play their home games at Arnie Alle ...

in the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) during the summer of 1972. On the mound, he had a 7–1 record and a 2.18 ERA, while at the plate he batted .286 with 7 home runs. He was a member of the CCBL's inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2000.

Professional career

Baltimore Orioles (1975–1987)

Breaking into the big leagues (1975–1976)

Flanagan was selected again in the 1973 MLB draft, this time by the

in the 7th round (159th overall). When he signed with the Orioles, the ball club agreed to finance the remainder of his college education. He progressed through the organization, with stops at Class A

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

(1973–1974),

Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League ...

Asheville Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous ci ...

(1974), and

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

, where he went 13–4 with a 2.50 ERA in 1975. His MLB career began with two appearances against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

in the last month of the 1975 campaign. He made his debut pitching innings in relief of starter Wayne Garland in a 5–4 victory in the opener of a twi-night doubleheader at Memorial Stadium on September 5. His first start and decision was a 3–2 loss at

Shea Stadium Shea Stadium (), formally known as William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City.

in the nightcap of another twin bill 23 days later on September 28 which was the final game of the regular season. He was on the verge of a

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 ...

until the bottom of the ninth when the first three batters he faced reached base and

Dyar Miller Dyar K Miller (born May 29, 1946) is a retired professional baseball pitcher, coach and instructor. A product of Utah State, Miller pitched 13 seasons in professional baseball between and . He also pitched all or parts of seven seasons in Majo ...

allowed all of them to score on a single and an

error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistics ...

. Flanagan's 1976 campaign was split between Rochester and Baltimore. He did not get his first Major League win until a 7–1 complete-game triumph at home over the eventual American League (AL) West champion Kansas City Royals on September 1. In 20 games (10 starts), he had a 3–5 record, a 4.13 ERA, 56 strikeouts, 33 walks, and 83 hits allowed in 85 innings pitched.

Full-time starter and All-Star (1977–1978)

By 1977, Flanagan was serving as a starting pitcher full-time; the season was the first of four straight in which he would pitch at least 230 innings. On May 14, he threw his first career shutout, holding the Oakland Athletics to five hits in a 2–0 victory at the

Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Oakland Coliseum, currently branded as RingCentral Coliseum, is a stadium in Oakland, California. It is part of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Complex, with the adjacent Oakland Arena, near Interstate 880. The Coliseum is the home ba ...

. He had 13 strikeouts on September 27 when the Orioles defeated the Detroit Tigers 6–1. In 36 games (33 starts), he had a 15–10 record, a 3.64 ERA, 149 strikeouts, 70 walks, and 235 hits allowed in 235 innings. In 1978, Flanagan was the Orioles' Opening Day starter, the only year from 1974 through 1980 that

Jim Palmer James Alvin Palmer (born October 15, 1945) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1965–1967, 1969–1984). Palmer was the winningest MLB pitcher in the ...

did not make the Opening Day start for Baltimore. Flanagan had a 10–1 record from May 5 through June 22, 1978, including a six-game winning streak from May 31 through June 22. He was selected to his only

All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...

in 1978 after posting a 12–6 record and a 3.16 ERA before the All-Star Break.''Total Baseball, 5th ed.'', 1997, Viking Press, Thorn, John et al. ed, p. 255 Three times did he pitch over nine innings in a game: 11 on June 13 in a 3–2 victory over the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

, 11 on July 17 in a 2–0 loss to the Texas Rangers, and on September 22 in a 7–5 loss to the Tigers. He was not quite as effective in the second part of the season, as his record was just 7–9 and his ERA was 4.60. Towards the end of the season, on September 26, he was one out away from pitching a no-hitter against the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

, with the Orioles leading 3–0. Then, Gary Alexander hit a home run. After the next two batters singled, bringing the potential go-ahead run to the plate, manager

Earl Weaver Earl Sidney Weaver (August 14, 1930 – January 19, 2013) was an American professional baseball manager, author, and television broadcaster. After playing in minor league baseball, he retired without playing in Major League Baseball (MLB). He be ...

replaced Flanagan with

Don Stanhouse Donald Joseph Stanhouse (born February 12, 1951) is a retired American professional baseball pitcher who had an eight-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1972–1980) with a brief comeback in 1982. He played for the Texas Rangers and Baltim ...

, who struck out the next hitter to preserve the victory. Flanagan was a workhorse for the Orioles in 1978, tying with

Dennis Leonard Dennis Patrick Leonard (born May 8, 1951) is a former pitcher for the Kansas City Royals in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He retired in 1986 due to injuries. Born in Brooklyn, Leonard attended Oceanside High School on Long Island, then playe ...

for the AL lead with 40 games started and ranking fourth in the AL with innings pitched (behind teammate Palmer's 296, Leonard's , and Mike Caldwell's ), though he also led the AL in

earned run In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an erro ...

s allowed with 126. His 19 wins were tied with Paul Splittorff for seventh in the AL, and he also tied with four others for fifth in the AL with 15 losses. He had a 4.03 ERA and ranked fourth in the AL with 167 strikeouts (behind

Nolan Ryan Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. (born January 31, 1947), nicknamed "the Ryan Express", is an American former professional baseball pitcher and sports executive. Over a record 27-year playing career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanning four decades, Ryan ...

's 260,

Ron Guidry Ronald Ames Guidry (; born August 28, 1950), nicknamed "Louisiana Lightning" and "Gator", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Guidry was also the pitch ...

's 248, and Leonard's 183).

Cy Young Award winner (1979)

After posting a 12–6 record and a 4.05 ERA before the All-Star break in 1979, Flanagan posted a 12–3 record and a 2.15 ERA in the latter part of the season. From July 9 through September 13, the Orioles only lost one game he pitched, an outing against the Yankees where Flanagan allowed three runs in a complete game but

Tommy John Thomas Edward John Jr. (born May 22, 1943), nicknamed "The Bionic Man," is an American retired professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 26 seasons between 1963 and 1989. He played for the Cleveland Indians, ...

allowed only two for New York. Flanagan posted a 12–1 record over 15 games during the stretch. In the second game of a doubleheader against the

on September 1, Flanagan allowed one run and seven hits in a complete game, 5–1 victory, becoming the first pitcher in the major leagues to win 20 games in 1979. After the game, pitching coach Ray Miller suggested that Flanagan's

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thr ...

was underrated, claiming that only five pitchers had thrown a harder one all year. Flanagan credited some of his success to learning how to throw a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

; Scott McGregor taught him the pitch that season. The 1979 season proved to be Flanagan's best, as he finished the year with a record of 23–9 and an ERA of 3.08. He led the AL with 23 wins and five shutouts (tying for the latter with Ryan and Leonard), also ranking among AL leaders with a 3.08 ERA (fourth behind

's 2.78, John's 2.96, and

Dennis Eckersley Dennis Lee Eckersley (born October 3, 1954), nicknamed "Eck", is an American professional baseball pitcher and former color commentator. Between 1975 and 1998, he pitched in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, ...

's 2.99), 190 strikeouts (third behind Ryan's 223 and Guidry's 201), and innings pitched (third behind teammate

Dennis Martínez José Dennis Martínez Ortiz (born May 14, 1955), nicknamed "El Presidente" (The President), is a Nicaraguan professional baseball pitcher. Martínez played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Montreal Expos, Cleveland India ...

's and John's ). He won the Cy Young Award and the ''Sporting News'' AL Pitcher of the Year Award, also finishing sixth in AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting as the Orioles won the

AL East The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (NL). This division was created before ...

. Palmer tried to convince Weaver to start Flanagan instead of him in Game 1 of the AL Championship Series (ALCS) against the California Angels, but Weaver insisted on going with the more experienced Palmer in a game the Orioles ultimately won 6–3 in 10 innings. The starter for Game 2, Flanagan held the Angels to three runs through seven innings before getting pulled in the top of the eighth after the first three runners reached (though

Rod Carew Rodney Cline Carew (born October 1, 1945) is a Panamanian former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman, second baseman and designated hitter from 1967 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins ...

did so on an

). He was charged with six runs (four earned) in seven innings but picked up the win in Baltimore's 9–8 victory; Baltimore defeated the Angels in four games. Flanagan started Game 1 of the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

, allowing four runs to the Pittsburgh Pirates but pitching the whole game in Baltimore's 5–4 triumph. In Game 5, he threw shutout baseball for the first five innings but allowed two runs in the sixth as the Orioles fell behind 2–1. When

Rick Dempsey John Rikard Dempsey (born September 13, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player.doubled with two outs in the seventh inning, Weaver opted to

pinch hit In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, Americ ...

for Flanagan with Pat Kelly, in hopes of getting a run. Kelly struck out, and the Orioles went on to lose 7–1, with Flanagan taking the loss. Flanagan also was one of five pitchers the Orioles used in the ninth inning of Game 7. He gave up a single to the only batter he faced,

Omar Moreno ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate ...

, who later scored as Pittsburgh went on to win the game 4–1 and the series 4–3. After Flanagan's season ended, on November 10, his hometown of Manchester honored him with "Mike Flanagan Day," in which he was escorted through town in a motorcade to the applause of over 1,000 spectators.

New contract & World Series victor (1980–1983)

Against the Tigers on September 17, 1980, Flanagan was called for a

balk In baseball, a pitcher can commit a number of illegal motions or actions that constitute a balk. Most of these violations involve pitchers pretending to pitch when they have no intention of doing so. In games played under the Official Baseball R ...

, which led to one of Weaver's most infamous tirades. After arguing with the umpire for about a dozen minutes, Weaver returned to the dugout and told Flanagan it was a bad call, to which Flanagan responded that he had indeed balked. The Orioles still won the game 9–3. Although his ERA was over a run higher for the team in 1980, he had a winning record once again. In 37 games (all starts), he had a 16–13 record, a 4.12 ERA, 128 strikeouts, and 71 walks. He was eighth in the AL with innings pitched but led the league in hits allowed with 278. The

1981 Major League Baseball strike The 1981 Major League Baseball strike was the first work stoppage in Major League Baseball since the 1972 Major League Baseball strike that resulted in regular season games being cancelled. Overall, it was the fourth work stoppage since 1972, but ...

resulted in the cancellation of games in June and July. Flanagan's season was further interrupted in September, when

tendonitis Tendinopathy, a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder ( rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow ( tennis e ...

ended his streak of 157 scheduled starts made. "It’s just an oil change and a 30,000-inning checkup," he told reporters. In 20 games (all starts), he had a 9–6 record, a 4.19 ERA, 72 strikeouts, 37 walks, and 108 hits allowed in 116 innings. Prior to the 1982 season, Flanagan and the Orioles went to arbitration concerning his contract for the year. Unusually, Flanagan's requested price ($485,000 a year) was lower than the team's requested price ($500,000 a year), as the Orioles were not sure how much money he would be requesting. Flanagan accepted their offer in a five-year contract with an option for a sixth year. With no interruptions to his season this time, he was again able to pitch over 200 innings, with 236 thrown. In 36 games (35 starts), he had a 15–11 record, a 3.97 ERA, 103 strikeouts, and 76 walks in 36 games (35 starts). Flanagan's 1983 season started strong, as he won his first six decisions, culminating in a seven-hit shutout of the

on May 11. However, he suffered a major injury in the first inning of the opener of a doubleheader against the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

on May 17, twisting his left knee. The injury kept him out of action until August 7 and kept his knee in a brace until May 24, 1984. Still, Flanagan won five games in a row from August 28 through September 17 as Baltimore won the AL East title. In 20 games (all starts), he had a 12–4 record, a 3.30 ERA, 50 strikeouts, 31 walks, and 135 hits allowed in innings pitched. His .750 winning percentage was third in the AL, behind Moose Haas's .813 and

Richard Dotson Richard Elliott Dotson (born January 10, 1959) is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball in the 1980s. He is best noted for his 22-7 performance of , helping the Chicago White Sox win the American League West Division championship ...

's .759. In Game 3 of the ALCS against the White Sox, Flanagan held the team to one run before getting replaced by Sammy Stewart in the sixth inning with his team up 6–1. He was awarded the victory in the 11–1 triumph, and Baltimore went on to defeat Chicago in four games. He started Game 3 of the

against the Philadelphia Phillies, giving up solo home runs to

Gary Matthews Gary Nathaniel Matthews Sr. (born July 5, 1950), nicknamed Sarge, is an American former professional baseball left fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from through for the San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phill ...

and

Joe Morgan Joe Leonard Morgan (September 19, 1943 – October 11, 2020) was an American professional baseball second baseman who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Colt .45s / Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, ...

before getting pinch-hit for by Ken Singleton in the fifth inning, as Baltimore had a man on second with two outs and a chance to score its first run against Steve Carlton. Singleton struck out, but the Orioles went on to win 3–2 before eventually winning the series in five games. Though 1979 was his best season statistically, Flanagan considered the World Championship campaign of 1983 as his best year in baseball.

Last effective year with the Orioles and injuries (1984–1987)

The 1984 season would be Flanagan's last effective one with the Orioles. A three-hit shutout of the Royals in the second game of a doubleheader propelled his record to 9–6, but he lost his next five starts. Through August 18, he had a 9–11 record. Starting August 19, he posted a 4–2 record and a 3.57 ERA over the remainder of the year to finish the season at 13–13. In 34 games (all starts), he had a 3.53 ERA, 115 strikeouts, 81 walks, and 213 hits allowed in innings. It was the last season in which he would record at least 100 strikeouts. On January 24, 1985, Flanagan suffered another major injury, tearing his left

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus ( ...

during a charity basketball game. The injury kept him out until July. In 15 starts, he had a 4–5 record, a 5.13 ERA, 42 strikeouts, 28 walks, and 101 hits allowed in 86 innings pitched. Eight years after his first, Flanagan made his only other Opening Day start for the Orioles in 1986. His 1986 and 1987 campaigns were both affected by a return of his elbow tendonitis, which cost him four starts in 1986 and two months in 1987. In 29 games (28 starts) in 1986, he had a 7–11 record, a 4.24 ERA, 96 strikeouts, 66 walks, and 179 hits allowed in 172 innings pitched. Through the end of August 1987, he was 3–6 with a 4.94 ERA, though he was 3–1 with a 3.71 ERA since returning from the tendonitis injury.

Toronto Blue Jays (1987–1990)

Flanagan had been quite successful against Toronto in his career, as his 17–10 record was the best of any pitcher against the franchise since they were created in 1977. On August 31, 1987, Flanagan was traded to Blue Jays for

Oswaldo Peraza Oswald José Peraza ay-RAH-za(born October 19, 1962) is a Venezuelan former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Baltimore Orioles (1988). He batted and threw right-handed. As of the 2014 season, he is the pitching coach ...

and a

player to be named later In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...

, who officially became

José Mesa José Ramón Nova Mesa (; born May 22, 1966) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1987 through 2007. He played for the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners ...

on September 4. When Flanagan joined the Blue Jays, the team released

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 make room for him on their roster. His most memorable performance with the Blue Jays took place at Tiger Stadium on October 3, 1987, the penultimate game of the regular season. With Toronto in a first-place tie with Detroit and having lost its last five contests, Flanagan outlasted

Jack Morris John Scott Morris (born May 16, 1955) is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1977 and 1994, mainly for the Detroit Tigers. Morris won 254 games throughout his career. Armed ...

by pitching 11 innings before departing with the match deadlocked at 2–2. The Blue Jays ended up losing the game 3–2 one inning later and the

championship the following afternoon. Morris said after the game, "Flanagan was so great, so competitive, that I considered my job to be survival – somehow keep us tied until he left the game. We weren't going to get to the playoffs beating him, we could only get there surviving him." In seven games (all starts) for the Blue Jays in 1987, he had a 3–2 record and a 2.37 ERA. His combined stats between Baltimore and Toronto that season were a 6–8 record, a 4.06 ERA, 93 strikeouts, 51 walks, and 148 hits allowed in 144 innings over 23 games (all starts). Against the Tigers on June 26, 1988, Flanagan won his 150th game, holding Detroit to one run over eight innings in a 4–1 victory. Healthy all season, he pitched 211 innings, topping the 200-inning mark for the first time since 1984 and last time in his career. He also won 10 or more games for the eighth and last time in his career. In 34 games (all starts), he had a 13–13 record, a 4.18 ERA, 99 strikeouts, 80 walks, and 220 hits allowed. Though his record was only 6–6, Flanagan had a 3.33 ERA for the Blue Jays through July 21, 1989. Thereafter, he posted a 5.02 ERA, going 2–4. In 30 games (all starts), he had an 8–10 record, a 3.93 ERA, 47 strikeouts, 47 walks, and 186 hits allowed in innings. Even though he had a losing record, the Blue Jays won the AL East, and Flanagan had his only postseason experience with the Blue Jays. Starting Game 4 in the ALCS against the Athletics, he pitched innings, giving up five runs and three home runs. One of the latter was

Jose Canseco José Canseco Capas Jr. (born July 2, 1964), nicknamed Parkway Jose, Mr. 40-40 and El Cañonero Cubano (The Cuban Cannon), is a Cuban-American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder and designated hitter. During his time with the Oaklan ...

's 480- foot (146.30

meter The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its pref ...

s) shot in the third inning, which was the first home run to land in the top deck of the SkyDome. He took the loss in the game, and the Athletics went on to win the series in five games. Flanagan's final appearance with Toronto was a start that resulted in a 3–1 loss at home to the Tigers on May 4, 1990, as he surrendered all 3 runs in innings. He was released on May 8. In five starts, he had posted a 2–2 record, a 5.31 ERA, five strikeouts, eight walks, and 28 hits allowed in innings pitched. His overall record with the Blue Jays was 26–27. He did not pitch again that season, instead thinking about what he wanted to do next.

Second stint with the Baltimore Orioles (1991–1992)

After being invited to Oriole training camp on a minor league contract in 1991, Flanagan made the team as a

. His best moment as a reliever came on July 13 against Oakland. He was called to the plate in the seventh inning after starter

Bob Milacki Robert Milacki (born July 28, 1964) is a former professional baseball player who pitched in Major League Baseball between and , mostly with the Baltimore Orioles. Playing career Milacki began his career with the Baltimore Orioles, pitching for t ...

, who had thrown six no-hit innings, was struck by a

line drive In the sports of baseball and softball, a batted ball is a pitch that has been contacted by the batter's bat. Batted balls are either fair or foul, and can be characterized as a fly ball, pop-up, line drive, or ground ball. In baseball, a fou ...

and had to leave the game. Flanagan walked one but pitched a hitless seventh, middle reliever Mark Williamson pitched a hitless eighth, and closer Gregg Olson pitched a hitless ninth, giving the four a combined no-hitter. On September 27, manager

Johnny Oates Johnny Lane Oates (January 21, 1946 – December 24, 2004) was an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, ...

brought him in to record the last two outs by an Oriole pitcher in the final baseball game played at Memorial Stadium, a 7–1 loss to the Tigers. In 64 games (just one of which was a start), he had a 2–7 record, a 2.38 ERA, 55 strikeouts, 25 walks, and 84 hits allowed in innings. He also recorded three saves, giving him a total of four in his career, as he had previously recorded one in 1977. Baltimore's first season at

Oriole Park at Camden Yards The Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a baseball stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home field of Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles, and the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early ...

, 1992, was Flanagan's last. He appeared in his final game on September 27, pitching two scoreless innings in a 6–1 loss to the Red Sox. In 42 games, all in relief, he had no record, an 8.05 ERA, 17 strikeouts, 23 walks, and 50 hits allowed in innings.

Legacy

In an 18-season career, Flanagan posted a 167–143 record with a 3.90 ERA, 1,491 strikeouts, 890 walks, and 2,806 hits allowed in 2,770 innings pitched. He ranks among the Orioles' all-time leaders in many categories. His 143 wins rank fourth (behind Palmer's 268,

Dave McNally David Arthur McNally (October 31, 1942 – December 1, 2002) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1962 through 1975, most notably as a member of the Baltimore Orioles dy ...

's 181, and

Mike Mussina Michael Cole Mussina (born December 8, 1968), nicknamed "Moose", is an American former baseball starting pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1991–2000) and the New York Yankees (2001–2008). ...

's 147) and his 1,297 strikeouts rank fourth (behind Palmer's 2,212, Mussina's 1,535, and McNally's 1,476). He is third with 328 games started (behind Palmer's 521 and McNally's 384) and third with innings pitched (behind Palmer's 3,948 and McNally's ). Flanagan also ranks 10th with 98 complete games and 17 shutouts. Among the franchise's single-season record-holders, his 23 wins in 1979 are tied with

Mike Cuellar 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 memb ...

's 1969 total and Palmer's 1975 total for sixth-best and his 40 starts in 1978 are tied with several others for first. The Orioles inducted Flanagan into their Hall of Fame in 1994.

Sense of humor

Flanagan was noted for his sense of humor, especially when it involved using puns to create nicknames. In his baseball column in the Sunday issues of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' during the late-1970s,

Peter Gammons Peter Gammons (born April 9, 1945) is an American sportswriter, media personality, and musician. He is a recipient of the J. G. Taylor Spink Award for outstanding baseball writing, given by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Early ...

ran a regular feature called the "Mike Flanagan Nickname of the Week". One example was John "Clams" Castino, which was a play on clams casino. Another was "Mordecai Six Toe" Lezcano, based on Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown and given to

Sixto Lezcano Sixto Joaquin Lezcano Curras (born November 28, 1953) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 12 seasons (1974–1985). He played for five MLB teams and won a Gold Glove during ...

. When the Blue Jays allowed

Tony Solaita Tolia "Tony" Solaita (January 15, 1947 – February 10, 1990) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for the New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, California Angels, Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Expos between 1968 and ...

to sign with the

Nippon-Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a s ...

after the 1979 campaign, he was dubbed "Tony Obsolaita". During the 1980 season, Flanagan called himself "

Cy Young Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. Born in Gilmore, Ohio, he worked on his family's farm as a youth before starting his professional baseball career. Young entered th ...

", Jim Palmer "Cy Old", Steve Stone "Cy Present" and Scott McGregor "Cy Future." When Storm Davis, whose pitching motion resembled Palmer's, joined the Orioles two years later in 1982, he was "Cy Clone." Flanagan added that pitchers became " Cy-bex" if they were injured and "Cy-onara" when they were no longer effective. Two monikers that stuck were "Full Pack" and "Stan the Man Unusual", both of which were coined for

; the former nickname referred to the relief pitcher's causing manager Earl Weaver to smoke a full pack of cigarettes while Stanhouse was pitching, and the latter nickname was a play on "Stan the Man" Musial's nickname. This nickname concept was later popularized by

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

Chris Berman Christopher James Berman (born May 10, 1955), nicknamed "Boomer", is an American sportscaster. He has been an anchor for ''SportsCenter'' on ESPN since 1979, joining a month after its initial launch, and hosted the network's '' Sunday NFL Count ...

, who was inspired by the feature in Gammons' column.

Post-playing days

After his playing career ended, Flanagan remained involved with the Orioles in various capacities. His career as a

on Orioles telecasts began when he made broadcasts for Home Team Sports (HTS) in 1994. In 1995, he served as the Orioles pitching coach under manager Phil Regan. After that, he was appointed by HTS as the color commentator alongside Mel Proctor in early January 1996, following the controversial dismissal of John Lowenstein, a former Oriole teammate of Flanagan's. He also teamed with

Michael Reghi Michael Joseph Reghi (pronounced ) (born June 5, 1953) is an American television play-by-play announcer and radio sports talk show host. He was the television play-by-play announcer for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2 ...

in 1997. In 1998, he was succeeded by Rick Cerone as he again became the pitching coach for the Orioles, this time under Miller. Flanagan rejoined Reghi in the broadcast booth in 1999. He continued as a commentator through the 2002 season, during which HTS evolved into Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. After the 2002 season,

Buck Martinez John Albert "Buck" Martinez (born November 7, 1948) is an American former professional baseball catcher and manager, and is currently the television play-by-play announcer for the Toronto Blue Jays. He played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball ( ...

was hired as a broadcaster, as Flanagan and Jim Beattie were named co-vice presidents of baseball operations for the Orioles in December 2002. When Beattie was dismissed following the 2005 season, Flanagan became the Orioles' executive vice president of baseball operations, a position equal to the status of

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

. He served in this role until 2007, when Andy MacPhail replaced him as the team's top executive. Flanagan remained with the team in a lesser capacity until his contract expired after the 2008 season. In 2010, Flanagan went back behind the microphone, joining the

Mid-Atlantic Sports Network The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) is an American regional sports network owned as a joint venture between two Major League Baseball franchises, the Baltimore Orioles (which owns a controlling 77% interest) and the Washington Nationals (whic ...

(MASN) as the Orioles' secondary analyst after Martinez became the Blue Jays' lead broadcaster on

Rogers Sportsnet Sportsnet is a Canadian English-language sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture between CTV, Liberty Media, and Rogers Media. CTV parent Bell Globemedia then was r ...

. Both Flanagan and Palmer provided color commentary along with rotating play-by-play announcers Gary Thorne and Jim Hunter through the 2011 season.

Pitching style

Flanagan's pitch selection included a slow curve, a heavy sinker, a fastball, and the changeup McGregor taught him in 1979. According to Dempsey, who caught Flanagan with the Orioles, "On the days he didn't have good stuff, he just kept coming at you. He would change his rhythm, change his speed, drop down, throw a sidearm curveball—use every weapon in his arsenal to get you out. And then on the days when he had good stuff, you had no chance against him." His fastball was not one of baseball's fastest, but he compensated for this by relying on the other three pitches to win ballgames.

Personal life

Flanagan married his first wife, Kathy Walsh, in January 1977. Their oldest daughter Kerry Ellen was the fourth American born through

in vitro fertilization In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation where an egg is combined with sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating an individual's ovulatory process, removing an ovum or ova (egg or eggs) f ...

(IVF) and the first IVF baby not born by Caesarean section. The conception was performed at the Eastern Virginia Medical School. She was born at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center on July 9, 1982. Mike and Kathy also had a second daughter named Kathryn "Katie" Kendall. Later, they divorced, and Mike remarried to Alex Lynn Debes, with whom he had a third daughter named Kendall.

Death

When Flanagan's wife Alex did not hear from her husband on August 24, 2011, she phoned a neighbor for help. The neighbor went to the home and called 9-1-1 after failing to find him. Police discovered a body on the property but could not immediately determine the identity because the wounds were so severe. The body was later identified as Flanagan, with the cause of death determined to be a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head. Police said that Flanagan was distressed about financial issues.

WBAL-TV WBAL-TV (channel 11) is a television station in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is the flagship property of Hearst Television, which has owned the station since its inception, and is sister to the company's sole r ...

reported that Flanagan was still despondent about his perceived failures during his tenure in the Orioles' front office. About one year after her husband's death, Alex Flanagan told

Dan Rodricks Dan Rodricks is a longtime columnist for ''The Baltimore Sun'' newspapers, and former host of thRoughly Speaking podcastfor baltimoresun.com. He was previously the host of Midday, a two-hour, daily talk show on WYPR FM 88.1, the NPR station in Balt ...

of the '' Baltimore Sun'' that her husband had struggled with depression, seeing a therapist for over 20 years. She also said that he had an alcohol problem. The Orioles wore a black patch bearing the text "Flanny" on the right sleeves of their jerseys for the rest of the 2011 season in tribute. Since 2012, the

have kept Flanagan's number 46 out of circulation, with

Jeremy Guthrie Jeremy Shane Guthrie (born April 8, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, and Washington Nation ...

being the last player to wear the number in 2011.

Notes

References

External links

, o
Baseball Almanac
o

o
Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Winter League)Weaver's tirade after Flanagan called for a balk, 9/17/1980
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