Rick Mahler, baseball player, 1979-1991

Rick Mahler

Born: 8/5/1953 in Austin, TX, USA

Died: 3/2/2005 in Jupiter, FL, USA

MLB Debut: 1979-04-20 | Final Game: 1991-08-06

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 195 lbs

Full name: Richard Keith Mahler

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Biography

Rick Mahler, born in 1953, was a professional baseball pitcher whose career spanned from 1979 to 1991. Known for his consistency and durability, Mahler made a significant impact on the mound during his tenure in Major League Baseball. He finished his career with a record of 96 wins and 111 losses, an earned run average (ERA) of 3.99, and accumulated a total of 952 strikeouts. Additionally, Mahler recorded 6 saves, showcasing his ability to close out games when called upon. Mahler's career unfolded during a transformative era in baseball, characterized by a shift towards more specialized roles for pitchers and an increasing emphasis on strikeout capability. His pitching style was marked by a blend of control and strategic thinking, enabling him to navigate through lineups effectively. While he may not have achieved the stardom of some of his contemporaries, Mahler's contributions to his teams and his resilience on the field have secured him a place in the annals of baseball history. He retired from the game on August 6, 1991, leaving behind a legacy of determination and skill in the art of pitching.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
96 111 392 271 43 9 6 1951.3 2069 866 165 606 952 3.99 0

Career ERA 3.99 vs. league average 3.88 across their career seasons — near 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
1979 ATL NL 0 0 15 0 0 0 0 22.0 28 15 11 12 6.14 4.00 (-53%) -830.3
1980 ATL NL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3.7 2 1 0 1 2.45 — 0.0
1981 ATL NL 8 6 34 14 1 0 2 112.3 109 35 43 54 2.80 3.58 (+22%) 548.7
1982 ATL NL 9 10 39 33 5 2 0 205.3 213 96 62 105 4.21 3.86 (-9%) 583.3
1983 ATL NL 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 14.3 16 8 9 7 5.02 3.87 (-30%) 75.6
1984 ATL NL 13 10 38 29 9 1 0 222.0 209 77 62 106 3.12 3.81 (+18%) 2078.3
1985 ATL NL 17 15 39 39 6 1 0 266.7 272 103 79 107 3.48 3.89 (+11%) -489.5
1986 ATL NL 14 18 39 39 7 1 0 237.7 283 129 95 137 4.88 3.97 (-23%) -1558.9
1987 ATL NL 8 13 39 28 3 1 0 197.0 212 109 85 95 4.98 4.29 (-16%) -2673.5
1988 ATL NL 9 16 39 34 5 0 0 249.0 279 102 42 131 3.69 3.73 (+1%) 3448.0
1989 CIN NL 9 13 40 31 5 2 0 220.7 242 94 51 102 3.83 3.71 (-3%) 916.7
1990 CIN NL 7 6 35 16 2 1 4 134.7 134 64 39 68 4.28 3.86 (-11%) -1443.9
1991 WSN NL 1 3 10 6 0 0 0 37.3 37 15 15 17 3.62 3.91 (+8%) -
1991 ATL NL 1 1 13 2 0 0 0 28.7 33 18 13 10 5.65 3.91 (-44%) -521.6

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
394 581 40 104 17 0 1 37 0 20 117 0.179 0.208 0.213 0.422 -3269.7

Career AVG .179 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — 30.9% below league average.

Career OBP .208 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — 35.8% below league average.

Career SLG .213 vs. league average .388 across their career seasons — 45.0% below league average.

Career OPS 0.422 vs. league average 0.713 across their career seasons — 40.8% 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
1979 ATL NL 15 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1980 ATL NL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 ATL NL 34 27 0 4 1 0 0 2 0 0 4 0.148 — — — — 0.0
1982 ATL NL 39 58 5 11 0 0 1 4 0 4 17 0.190 .261 (-27%) .324 (-25%) .388 (-38%) .712 (-32%) -307.2
1983 ATL NL 10 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1984 ATL NL 38 71 6 21 3 0 0 3 0 2 8 0.296 .259 (+14%) .322 (-2%) .384 (-12%) .707 (-8%) -92.0
1985 ATL NL 39 90 9 14 1 0 0 8 0 3 18 0.156 .257 (-39%) .323 (-44%) .390 (-57%) .714 (-51%) -787.1
1986 ATL NL 40 83 8 16 3 0 0 7 0 4 14 0.193 .257 (-25%) .325 (-29%) .395 (-42%) .720 (-36%) -514.4
1987 ATL NL 40 65 4 11 4 0 0 5 0 2 19 0.169 .262 (-36%) .331 (-41%) .415 (-44%) .746 (-43%) -501.4
1988 ATL NL 39 72 3 9 1 0 0 5 0 0 20 0.125 .254 (-51%) .317 (-57%) .377 (-63%) .695 (-60%) -713.4
1989 CIN NL 40 62 4 11 2 0 0 1 0 4 8 0.177 .254 (-30%) .319 (-25%) .375 (-44%) .694 (-35%) -354.3
1990 CIN NL 35 35 1 4 1 0 0 2 0 1 4 0.114 — — — — 0.0
1991 WSN NL 10 9 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.111 — — — — 0.0
1991 ATL NL 13 5 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.200 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1990 NLCS CIN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1982 NLCS ATL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 2 0 0 3.3 5 0 2 0 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1990 NLCS CIN 0 0 1 0 0 1.7 2 0 0 0 0.00
1982 NLCS ATL 0 0 1 0 0 1.7 3 0 2 0 0.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 392 271 160 338 21 31

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1979 ATL P 15 0 1 3 1 0
1980 ATL P 2 0 0 1 0 0
1981 ATL P 34 14 14 19 2 0
1982 ATL P 39 33 19 36 1 5
1983 ATL P 10 0 1 1 1 1
1984 ATL P 38 29 20 42 2 5
1985 ATL P 39 39 21 45 4 9
1986 ATL P 39 39 23 41 3 2
1987 ATL P 39 28 13 42 1 2
1988 ATL P 39 34 22 43 3 4
1989 CIN P 40 31 8 35 1 2
1990 CIN P 35 16 11 17 1 1
1991 MON P 10 6 3 9 0 0
1991 ATL P 13 2 4 4 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 392

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1982 Player of the Week Week of 1982-04-09

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1990 CIN NL $790,000
1989 CIN NL $790,000
1988 ATL NL $737,500
1987 ATL NL $695,000
1986 ATL NL $687,500
1985 ATL NL $407,500
Total Career Earnings $4,107,500

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Trinity University San Antonio TX 1972, 1973, 1974