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
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 |
Season-by-Season Pitching
| Year | Team | Lg | W | L | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | ERA | Pitcher PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | ATL | NL | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22.0 | 28 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 6.14 | -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 | 548.7 |
| 1982 | ATL | NL | 9 | 10 | 39 | 33 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 205.3 | 213 | 96 | 62 | 105 | 4.21 | 583.3 |
| 1983 | ATL | NL | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14.3 | 16 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 5.02 | 75.6 |
| 1984 | ATL | NL | 13 | 10 | 38 | 29 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 222.0 | 209 | 77 | 62 | 106 | 3.12 | 2078.3 |
| 1985 | ATL | NL | 17 | 15 | 39 | 39 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 266.7 | 272 | 103 | 79 | 107 | 3.48 | -489.5 |
| 1986 | ATL | NL | 14 | 18 | 39 | 39 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 237.7 | 283 | 129 | 95 | 137 | 4.88 | -1558.9 |
| 1987 | ATL | NL | 8 | 13 | 39 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 197.0 | 212 | 109 | 85 | 95 | 4.98 | -2673.5 |
| 1988 | ATL | NL | 9 | 16 | 39 | 34 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 249.0 | 279 | 102 | 42 | 131 | 3.69 | 3448.0 |
| 1989 | CIN | NL | 9 | 13 | 40 | 31 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 220.7 | 242 | 94 | 51 | 102 | 3.83 | 916.7 |
| 1990 | CIN | NL | 7 | 6 | 35 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 134.7 | 134 | 64 | 39 | 68 | 4.28 | -1443.9 |
| 1991 | ATL | NL | 1 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28.7 | 33 | 18 | 13 | 10 | 5.65 | -521.6 |
| 1991 | WSN | NL | 1 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37.3 | 37 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 3.62 | - |
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 |
Season-by-Season Batting
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | 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 | -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 | -92.0 |
| 1985 | ATL | NL | 39 | 90 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 0.156 | -787.1 |
| 1986 | ATL | NL | 40 | 83 | 8 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 14 | 0.193 | -514.4 |
| 1987 | ATL | NL | 40 | 65 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 0.169 | -501.4 |
| 1988 | ATL | NL | 39 | 72 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0.125 | -713.4 |
| 1989 | CIN | NL | 40 | 62 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 0.177 | -354.3 |
| 1990 | CIN | NL | 35 | 35 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.114 | 0.0 |
| 1991 | ATL | NL | 13 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.200 | 0.0 |
| 1991 | WSN | NL | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.111 | 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 | ATL | P | 13 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| 1991 | MON | P | 10 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 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 |