Ironman pitcher Mike Marshall, the first reliever in baseball history to win a Cy Young Award, has died at the age of 78.
A native of Adrian, Michigan, Marshall passed away Monday night while under hospice care at his home in Zephyrhills, Florida, according to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The rubber-armed right-hander played for nine teams over his 14-year MLB career from 1967-1981, but he’s best known for his amazing durability and his signature screwball.
During his Cy Young-winning 1974 season with the Dodgers, Marshall set a record that will likely never be broken – appearing in 106 games and tossing 208 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. He finished the year with a 15-12 record, a league-best 21 saves and 2.42 ERA in helping lead the Dodgers to the World Series.
“I had a deal with (manager) Walter Alston,” Marshall said in a 2003 interview. “If I warmed up, I was getting into the game.”
True to form, Marshall made two appearances in the 1974 NL championship series against Pittsburgh, then pitched in all five World Series games against the Oakland A’s.
