Mike Cuellar

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1959-1977)

Mike Cuellar was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1959 to 1977 for 5 teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, a span of 19 seasons. Across 453 career appearances, he went 185-130 with a 3.14 ERA and 1,632 strikeouts. He also batted .115 with 7 home runs. Mike Cuellar was a 4-time All-Star and a Cy Young. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 19690.9.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 185–130
ERA 3.14
WHIP 1.20
SO 1,632
Pitcher PIV 19690.9
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
L / L
Height / Weight
6'0" / 165 lb
Born
5/8/1937 in Las Villas, Cuba
Died
4/2/2010 in Orlando, FL, USA
MLB Debut
1959-04-18
Last Game
1977-05-03
Awards
4× All-Star · Cy Young

Full name: Miguel Angel Cuellar

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Career Pitching Statistics

Mike Cuellar — 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 2,538 979 222 822 1,632 3.14 19690.9

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

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Mike Cuellar Stats, Bio & Career Records
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 SLN NL 5 5 32 7 1 0 4 72.0 80 36 33 56 4.50 3.58 (-26%) -593.9
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 2 227.1 193 56 52 175 2.22 3.52 (+37%) 7421.6
1967 HOU NL 16 11 36 32 16 3 1 246.1 233 83 63 203 3.03 3.30 (+8%) 5103.7
1968 HOU NL 8 11 28 24 11 2 1 170.2 152 52 45 133 2.74 2.98 (+8%) 3257.4
1969 BAL AL 23 11 39 39 18 5 0 290.2 213 77 79 182 2.38 3.61 (+34%) 5589.6
1970 BAL AL 24 8 40 40 21 4 0 297.2 273 115 69 190 3.48 3.89 (+11%) 2635.3
1971 BAL AL 20 9 38 38 21 4 0 292.1 250 100 78 124 3.08 3.47 (+11%) -2038.2
1972 BAL AL 18 12 35 35 17 4 0 248.1 197 71 71 132 2.57 3.26 (+21%) -179.9
1973 BAL AL 18 13 38 38 17 2 0 267.0 265 97 84 140 3.27 3.75 (+13%) -846.2
1974 BAL AL 22 10 38 38 20 5 0 269.1 253 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%) -2541.8
1977 CAL AL 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 3.1 9 7 3 3 18.90 — 0.0
Career · 15 seasons 185 130 453 379 172 36 11 2,808.0 2,538 979 822 1,632 3.14 — 19,691

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Mike Cuellar — 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 .115 .128 .171 .299 -5,260

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 .299 vs. league average .690 across their career seasons — 56.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Mike Cuellar Stats, Bio & Career Records
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 .000 — — — — 0.0
1964 SLN NL 32 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 .000 — — — — 0.0
1965 HOU NL 25 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 .000 — — — — 0.0
1966 HOU NL 38 71 4 8 1 0 1 1 0 2 37 .113 .248 (-55%) .309 (-56%) .376 (-55%) .685 (-55%) -600.2
1967 HOU NL 38 93 6 13 3 2 0 5 0 2 42 .140 .242 (-42%) .306 (-48%) .357 (-40%) .663 (-44%) -628.7
1968 HOU NL 28 57 3 11 1 0 1 3 0 0 25 .193 .236 (-18%) .298 (-31%) .340 (-23%) .638 (-26%) -222.7
1969 BAL AL 39 103 6 12 1 2 0 5 0 0 43 .117 .248 (-53%) .320 (-64%) .369 (-55%) .689 (-59%) -985.4
1970 BAL AL 41 112 6 10 1 0 2 7 0 2 48 .089 .253 (-65%) .325 (-68%) .385 (-61%) .711 (-64%) -1137.1
1971 BAL AL 38 107 7 11 1 0 1 5 0 2 54 .103 .249 (-59%) .316 (-62%) .365 (-62%) .682 (-62%) -1010.6
1972 BAL AL 35 87 5 11 0 0 2 7 0 0 38 .126 .243 (-48%) .310 (-59%) .353 (-45%) .664 (-52%) -675.2
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 CAL AL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 15 seasons 456 661 37 76 8 4 7 33 0 9 304 .115 — — — — -5,260

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Mike Cuellar — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
12 19 1 4 0 0 1 5 1 11 .211

Playoff Batting by Year

Mike Cuellar — 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 .333
1971 WS BAL 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000
1970 ALCS BAL 1 2 1 1 0 0 1 4 0 1 .500
1970 WS BAL 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000
1969 ALCS BAL 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
1969 WS BAL 2 5 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 .400

Playoff Career Pitching

Mike Cuellar — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
4 4 12 12 0 85.1 66 27 31 56 2.85

Playoff Pitching by Year

Mike Cuellar — 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 12.2 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 4.1 10 6 1 2 12.46
1970 WS BAL 1 0 2 2 0 11.1 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

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (909 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Mike Cuellar — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home2293181230111.094
Away2273432446622.134

Pitching — Home / Away

Mike Cuellar — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home2291442.212384444228682.77
Away2241365.013005354007643.53

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Mike Cuellar — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1977-05-03 LAANYY L 3.1766232
1977-04-26 LAAOAK — 0.0211100
1976-08-29 BALTEX — 3.0522210
1976-08-21 BALCHW L 3.0211100
1976-08-14 BALCHW — 0.1000000
1976-08-08 BALNYY SV 1.0000000
1976-08-02 BALMIL — 1.2100000
1976-07-24 BALMIL L 4.0711110
1976-07-18 BALLAA L 5.2333520
1976-07-07 BALOAK L 4.1844200

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Mike Cuellar — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 453 379 108 453 30 33

Season-by-Season Fielding

Mike Cuellar — 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 Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Mike Cuellar Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 453

Awards & Honors

Mike Cuellar — 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

Mike Cuellar — 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

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Mike Cuellar (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Dave McNally
    184-119, 3.24 ERA
  2. 96
    Dazzy Vance HOF
    197-140, 3.24 ERA
  3. 95
    Burt Hooton
    151-136, 3.38 ERA
  4. 95
    Jimmy Key
    186-117, 3.51 ERA
  5. 90
    Steve Rogers
    158-152, 3.17 ERA
  6. 84
    Lon Warneke
    192-121, 3.18 ERA

Compare Mike Cuellar

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Cuellar's closest peers by position and era.

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vs Tom Seaver
vs Gaylord Perry
vs Steve Carlton
vs Bob Gibson
vs Warren Spahn

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Mike Cuellar: the record in brief

Mike Cuellar played a first major league game on April 18, 1959 and a last one on May 3, 1977. The team column moves through the Cincinnati Redlegs (1959), the St. Louis Cardinals (1964), the Houston Astros (1965 through 1968), the Baltimore Orioles (1969 to 1976), and the California Angels (1977). Cuellar played primarily as a pitcher and both batted and threw left-handed. Born on May 8, 1937, in Las Villas, Cuba, Cuellar was listed at 6 feet, 0 inches and 165 pounds. The bio records the death on April 2, 2010, in Orlando, FL, USA. Mike Cuellar was the playing name; the full given name is Miguel Angel.

Cuellar's career pitching line is 185 wins, 130 losses and a 3.14 ERA over 453 appearances. Cuellar had 1,632 strikeouts, 172 complete games, 36 shutouts, and 11 saves. The leagues Cuellar pitched in allowed 3.58 earned runs per nine over those seasons, so the career ERA was 12.4% better than average.

Frequently Asked Questions about Mike Cuellar

What years did Mike Cuellar play?
Mike Cuellar played in Major League Baseball from 1959 to 1977.
Was Mike Cuellar a pitcher?
Yes. Mike Cuellar pitched in the major leagues, recording 185 wins and 1632 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Mike Cuellar hit?
Mike Cuellar hit 7 career home runs with 76 hits.
What was Mike Cuellar's career batting average?
Mike Cuellar batted .115 over his career, with 76 hits in 661 at bats.
How many RBI did Mike Cuellar have?
Mike Cuellar drove in 33 runs in his career.
What was Mike Cuellar's career ERA?
Mike Cuellar finished with a 3.14 career ERA, going 185-130 with 1,632 strikeouts.