Mike Cuellar
⭐ Hall of Fame 2009
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
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 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | 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 | - |
| 1965 | HOU | NL | 1 | 4 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 56.0 | 55 | 22 | 21 | 46 | 3.54 | 1061.4 |
| 1966 | HOU | NL | 12 | 10 | 38 | 28 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 227.3 | 193 | 56 | 52 | 175 | 2.22 | 7421.6 |
| 1967 | HOU | NL | 16 | 11 | 36 | 32 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 246.3 | 233 | 83 | 63 | 203 | 3.03 | 5103.7 |
| 1968 | HOU | NL | 8 | 11 | 28 | 24 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 170.7 | 152 | 52 | 45 | 133 | 2.74 | 3257.4 |
| 1969 | BAL | AL | 23 | 11 | 39 | 39 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 290.7 | 213 | 77 | 79 | 182 | 2.38 | 5589.6 |
| 1970 | BAL | AL | 24 | 8 | 40 | 40 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 297.7 | 273 | 115 | 69 | 190 | 3.48 | 2635.3 |
| 1971 | BAL | AL | 20 | 9 | 38 | 38 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 292.3 | 250 | 100 | 78 | 124 | 3.08 | -2160.8 |
| 1972 | BAL | AL | 18 | 12 | 35 | 35 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 248.3 | 197 | 71 | 71 | 132 | 2.57 | -189.1 |
| 1973 | BAL | AL | 18 | 13 | 38 | 38 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 267.0 | 265 | 97 | 84 | 140 | 3.27 | -892.7 |
| 1974 | BAL | AL | 22 | 10 | 38 | 38 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 269.3 | 253 | 93 | 86 | 106 | 3.11 | 252.2 |
| 1975 | BAL | AL | 14 | 12 | 36 | 36 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 256.0 | 229 | 104 | 84 | 105 | 3.66 | 569.6 |
| 1976 | BAL | AL | 4 | 13 | 26 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 107.0 | 129 | 59 | 50 | 32 | 4.96 | -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 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | 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 | -642.4 |
| 1967 | HOU | NL | 38 | 93 | 6 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 42 | 0.140 | -673.0 |
| 1968 | HOU | NL | 28 | 57 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0.193 | -234.2 |
| 1969 | BAL | AL | 39 | 103 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 0.117 | -1056.6 |
| 1970 | BAL | AL | 41 | 112 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 48 | 0.089 | -1223.4 |
| 1971 | BAL | AL | 38 | 107 | 7 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 54 | 0.103 | -1081.7 |
| 1972 | BAL | AL | 35 | 87 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 0.126 | -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 | WS | BAL | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.000 |
| 1970 | ALCS | BAL | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.500 |
| 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 |