On This Date in Sports June 28, 1976
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
The Bird is the Word, as Mark Fidrych of the Detroit Tigers ties up the New York Yankees 5-1 in a National Televised Game at Tiger Stadium. With the win, the Tigers rookie pitcher improves to 8-1 on the season. The game was played in under two hours, as antics of Fidrych helps to make him an instant sensation, as he allows one run and seven hits with two strikeouts.
Mark Fidrych was born on August 14, 1954, in Worcester, Massachusetts. Selected in the tenth round of the 1974 draft by the Detroit Tigers, Mark Fidrych thought he had been drafted into the military, not thinking any Major League team would be interested in him. Upon arriving in the minor leagues for the Tigers, Fidrych a tall lanky, right-hander with curly blond hair has nicknamed the bird for his resemblance to Big Bird from Sesame Street.
After two seasons in the minors, Mark Fidrych made his debut with the Tigers on April 20, 1976. Making his first start on May 15th, Fidrych pitched six no-hit innings and earned the win as the Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians 2-1. Over the next month, The Bird became a fan favorite in Detroit, as fans calling themselves bird watched filled Tiger Stadium. Helping to drive the popularity of Mark Fidrych was his antics on the mound, which including pawing with the dirt on the mound, and talking to the baseball. He would often strut around the mound after recording an out and toss balls back to the umpire, saying it had too many hits inside of it.
By the time Mark Fidrych was to face the first place Yankees on ABC’s Monday Night Baseball, he had become a curiosity, winning seven of his first eight decisions. That night a crowd of 47,855 fans filled the old stadium on Trumbull Avenue to see the Bird Pitch, as millions tuned in across the country. When Fidrych did not pitch the Tigers averaged just over 13,000 fans. The Tigers managed by Ralph Houk entered the game in fourth place with a record of 32-35, while Yankees managed by Billy Martin were in first place at 43-24. In the first inning, Fidrych pitched around a two-out single by Carlos May to set the tone early. In the bottom of the first Detroit gave their rookie pitcher a lead as Rusty Staub hit a two-run homer off Ken Holtzman. The Yankees got a run back in the second, thanks to a home run by Elrod Hendricks. Mark Fidrych was never overpowering, but he found ways to limit any damage as the Yankees were never able to piece together multiple hit innings. In the seventh inning, the Tigers made the score 3-1 on a home run by Aurelio Rodriguez, while adding two more runs in the eight on an RBI groundout by Staub, scoring Ron LeFlore and a double by Alex Johnson that scored Tom Veryzer. In the ninth, with the Tigers leading 5-1, Fidrych recorded just his second strikeout getting Chris Chambliss to lead off the inning. Craig Nettles made the second out on a grounder to second baseman Pedro Garcia. After Oscar Gamble got on with a single, Mark Fidrych ended the game by getting Hendricks to ground to second. After the game played in just 1:51, fans stayed at Tiger Stadium, waiting for Fidrych to make a curtain call.
The game helped make Mark Fidrych an instant sensation, as he was on the cover of several national magazines, including Sports Illustrated with Big Bird and Rolling Stone. To date, Fidrych is the only baseball player ever to appear on the magazine more associated with the music industry. Mark Fidrych would go on to start the All-Star Game for the American League in Philadelphia, suffering the loss as he gave up two runs in the first inning. Fidrych would go on to win the American League Rookie of the Year, posting a record of 19-9 with a league-best 2.34 ERA and 24 complete games. He also finished second to Jim Palmer of the Baltimore Orioles in voting for the Cy Young Award.
After his rookie season, Mark Fidrych became one of the most recognizable faces in baseball, earning an endorsement contract with Aqua Velva. The Tigers meanwhile signed the Bird to a three-year deal worth $255,000 the biggest deal ever given to a second-year player at the time. However, the Bird’s career would quickly flame out as he suffered a knee injury horsing around during Spring Training. Making just 11 starts, Fidrych went 6-4 in 1977. Injury problems would plague Mark Fidrych the rest of his career as he suffered an undiagnosed tear to his rotator cuff. Still, the Bird tried to come back, posting a 2-0 record in three starts in 1978 while going 0-3 in four starts in 1979. His final season in the majors was in 1980 when he went 2-3 in nine starts with the Tigers. After missing all of 1981, Mark Fidrych attempted a comeback with the Boston Red Sox, pitching in Pawtucket, but he never again pitched in the majors.