Mike Cuellar, baseball player, 1959-1977

Mike Cuellar

Born: 5/8/1937 in Las Villas, Cuba

Died: 4/2/2010 in Orlando, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1959-04-18 | Final Game: 1977-05-03

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: Miguel Angel Cuellar

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Biography

Mike Cuellar was a prominent Major League Baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1959 to 1977. Born in 1937, Cuellar established himself as a formidable competitor on the mound, finishing his career with a record of 185-130 and an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 3.14. Over his 18-year career, he recorded 1,632 strikeouts and contributed 11 saves, showcasing his versatility and effectiveness in various game situations. Cuellar's pitching style was characterized by his exceptional control and ability to induce ground balls, making him a key asset for the teams he played for, particularly the Baltimore Orioles. Cuellar's achievements included four All-Star selections and winning the prestigious Cy Young Award, which recognized him as one of the top pitchers in the league during his era. His induction into the Hall of Fame in 2009 marked a significant acknowledgment of his contributions to the game. Cuellar played during a transformative period in baseball, navigating through the changes of the late 1960s and early 1970s, a time when pitching dominated the sport. His legacy remains significant, as he was a key figure in the Orioles' success and a respected member of the baseball community.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
185 130 453 379 172 36 11 2808.0 2538 979 222 822 1632 3.14 0

Career ERA 3.14 vs. league average 3.58 across their career seasons — 12.4% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1959 CIN NL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 4.0 7 7 4 5 15.75 — 0.0
1964 STL NL 5 5 32 7 1 0 4 72.0 80 36 33 56 4.50 3.58 (-26%) -
1965 HOU NL 1 4 25 4 0 0 2 56.0 55 22 21 46 3.54 3.50 (-1%) 1061.4
1966 HOU NL 12 10 38 28 11 1 2 227.3 193 56 52 175 2.22 3.52 (+37%) 7421.6
1967 HOU NL 16 11 36 32 16 3 1 246.3 233 83 63 203 3.03 3.30 (+8%) 5103.7
1968 HOU NL 8 11 28 24 11 2 1 170.7 152 52 45 133 2.74 2.98 (+8%) 3257.4
1969 BAL AL 23 11 39 39 18 5 0 290.7 213 77 79 182 2.38 3.61 (+34%) 5589.6
1970 BAL AL 24 8 40 40 21 4 0 297.7 273 115 69 190 3.48 3.89 (+11%) 2635.3
1971 BAL AL 20 9 38 38 21 4 0 292.3 250 100 78 124 3.08 3.47 (+11%) -2160.8
1972 BAL AL 18 12 35 35 17 4 0 248.3 197 71 71 132 2.57 3.26 (+21%) -189.1
1973 BAL AL 18 13 38 38 17 2 0 267.0 265 97 84 140 3.27 3.75 (+13%) -892.7
1974 BAL AL 22 10 38 38 20 5 0 269.3 253 93 86 106 3.11 3.63 (+14%) 252.2
1975 BAL AL 14 12 36 36 17 5 0 256.0 229 104 84 105 3.66 3.71 (+1%) 569.6
1976 BAL AL 4 13 26 19 2 1 1 107.0 129 59 50 32 4.96 3.51 (-41%) -2597.7
1977 LAA AL 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 3.3 9 7 3 3 18.90 — -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
456 661 37 76 8 4 7 33 0 9 304 0.115 0.128 0.171 0.299 -5630.3

Career AVG .115 vs. league average .251 across their career seasons — 54.3% below league average.

Career OBP .128 vs. league average .318 across their career seasons — 59.8% below league average.

Career SLG .171 vs. league average .372 across their career seasons — 54.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.299 vs. league average 0.690 across their career seasons — 56.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1959 CIN NL 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1964 STL NL 32 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1965 HOU NL 25 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1966 HOU NL 38 71 4 8 1 0 1 1 0 2 37 0.113 .248 (-55%) .309 (-56%) .376 (-55%) .685 (-55%) -642.4
1967 HOU NL 38 93 6 13 3 2 0 5 0 2 42 0.140 .242 (-42%) .306 (-48%) .357 (-40%) .663 (-44%) -673.0
1968 HOU NL 28 57 3 11 1 0 1 3 0 0 25 0.193 .236 (-18%) .298 (-31%) .340 (-23%) .638 (-26%) -234.2
1969 BAL AL 39 103 6 12 1 2 0 5 0 0 43 0.117 .248 (-53%) .320 (-64%) .369 (-55%) .689 (-59%) -1056.6
1970 BAL AL 41 112 6 10 1 0 2 7 0 2 48 0.089 .253 (-65%) .325 (-68%) .385 (-61%) .711 (-64%) -1223.4
1971 BAL AL 38 107 7 11 1 0 1 5 0 2 54 0.103 .249 (-59%) .316 (-62%) .365 (-62%) .682 (-62%) -1081.7
1972 BAL AL 35 87 5 11 0 0 2 7 0 0 38 0.126 .243 (-48%) .310 (-59%) .353 (-45%) .664 (-52%) -719.0
1973 BAL AL 38 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1974 BAL AL 38 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1975 BAL AL 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1976 BAL AL 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 LAA AL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
12 19 1 4 0 0 1 5 1 11 0.211

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1974 ALCS BAL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1973 ALCS BAL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1971 ALCS BAL 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.333
1971 WS BAL 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0.000
1970 ALCS BAL 1 2 1 1 0 0 1 4 0 1 0.500
1970 WS BAL 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000
1969 ALCS BAL 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000
1969 WS BAL 2 5 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 0.400

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
4 4 12 12 0 85.3 66 27 31 56 2.85

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1974 ALCS BAL 1 1 2 2 0 12.7 9 4 13 6 2.84
1973 ALCS BAL 0 1 1 1 0 10.0 4 2 3 11 1.80
1971 ALCS BAL 1 0 1 1 0 9.0 6 1 1 2 1.00
1971 WS BAL 0 2 2 2 0 14.0 11 6 6 10 3.86
1970 ALCS BAL 0 0 1 1 0 4.3 10 6 1 2 12.46
1970 WS BAL 1 0 2 2 0 11.3 10 4 2 5 3.18
1969 ALCS BAL 0 0 1 1 0 8.0 3 2 1 7 2.25
1969 WS BAL 1 0 2 2 0 16.0 13 2 4 13 1.12

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 453 379 108 453 30 33

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1959 CIN P 2 0 0 0 0 0
1964 SLN P 32 7 4 18 3 1
1965 HOU P 25 4 2 10 1 1
1966 HOU P 38 28 5 38 2 4
1967 HOU P 36 32 15 35 2 1
1968 HOU P 28 24 13 24 4 1
1969 BAL P 39 39 9 45 2 7
1970 BAL P 40 40 9 34 2 1
1971 BAL P 38 38 14 53 2 5
1972 BAL P 35 35 10 43 5 5
1973 BAL P 38 38 9 47 3 2
1974 BAL P 38 38 5 35 1 1
1975 BAL P 36 36 11 53 2 3
1976 BAL P 26 19 2 18 1 1
1977 CAL P 2 1 0 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 453

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1974 Player of the Week Week of 1974-09-06
1974 TSN All-Star LHP
1969 Cy Young Award
1969 TSN All-Star LHP

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1974 Cy Young Award AL 6th 6.0 120 0
1974 Most Valuable Player AL 10th 42.0 336 0
1971 Most Valuable Player AL 24th 4.0 336 0
1970 Cy Young Award AL 4th 44.0 120 6
1970 Most Valuable Player AL 11th 45.0 336 0
1969 Cy Young Award AL 1st 10.0 24 10
1969 Most Valuable Player AL 8th 55.0 336 0