Mike Cuellar Stats

Miguel Ángel Cuellar was a Major League Baseball player who pitched for the Cincinnati Reds ( 1959 ), St. Louis Cardinals ( 1964 ), Houston Astros (1965-1968), Baltimore Orioles (1969-1976), and California Angels ( 1977 ). Mike, his nickname, is one of four aces that helped the Orioles win three three consecutive pennants (1969-1971) and the World Series in 1970 .

Did you know that Mike Cuellar was the first pitcher from the Baltimore Orioles to win a Cy Young Award ? During the 1969 season, Cuellar went 23–11 (#2 in the A.L.), struck out 182 batters (#5 in the A.L.), and had a 2.38 ERA (#3 in the A.L.). The 1969 Baltimore Orioles won a franchise-record 109 games and the very first American League East Division title (prior to the season, both the American League and National League had been divided into East and West Divisions) as Cuellar went on to also become the first pitcher in Major League history born anywhere outside of the United States to win a Cy Young Award !

Did you know that Mike Cuellar won 20-or-more games in a season four times ( 1969 , 1970 , 1971 , 1974 )? Only one other lefty in Baltimore Orioles has duplicated that feat, Dave McNally ( 1968 , 1969 , 1970 , 1971 ). The duo were part of the last starting rotation in baseball history to feature four pitchers with at least twenty victories ! The year, 1971, and the other two twirlers were hall of famer Jim Palmer and Pat Dobson .

One other team in Major League history also had four 20-game winners, in the American League, in 1920 ! Try to recall those pitchers, or just visit the 1920 Chicago White Sox roster to see who they were!

Mike Cuellar was not just the first pitcher, but the first player in Major League history to ever hit a grand slam during a League Championship Series ( LCS )! On October 3, 1970 , during Game 1 of the 1970 ALCS, Crazy Horse cleared the bases in the fourth inning. Through today, Cuellar remains the only pitcher to ever hit a grand slam in an LCS game? Do you know what pitcher "helped" Cuellar make history that day? [ Answer ]

O's Pitcher Cuellar Hits Grand Slam | Game 1 1970 ALCS | MLB Advanced Media, LP

On May 29, 1970 , Mike Cuellar pitched a 9-inning, 4-hit, complete game shutout, at Anaheim Stadium, striking out ten hitters. During the fourth inning, Cuellar struck out Alex Johnson , Ken McMullen , Tommie Reynolds , and Jim Spencer —the first recorded four strikeout inning by a Baltimore Orioles twirler!