'195 perfect throws → transforming into a baker after retirement' MLB big star sets, DET legend Rolwich dies '85 years old'

*This content was translated by AI.

He pitched more than 300 innings for the fourth consecutive year and led the Detroit Tigers to their greatest heyday. He was called up to the military during the season, but he also showed his strength to complete three consecutive shutouts. Mickey Rolwich, who had a brilliant active career, became a star in the sky.

MLB.COM, the official website of the Major League Baseball (MLB), said on the 5th (Korea time) that "Mickey Rolwich, the MVP who led Detroit to a come-from-behind victory in the World Series in 1968, died at the age of 85."

Lolich is one of the brightest pitchers in Detroit's history. Former teammate Denny McClain won the MVP in 1968 for a historic 31-win season, but Rolich won as many as three complete games in the World Series against the strong favorite St. Louis Cardinals.

It was hard to imagine now. He won 14 games in 1967, recorded six shutouts, the most in the major leagues, and was overshadowed by McClain even though he had three consecutive shutouts in the final month of the season, including a streak of 28 ⅔ innings.

What's more surprising is that the Detroit riots broke out that year, and Rolich was called up to the Michigan Air National Guard at the time, where he spent two weeks serving, guarding radio transmission towers and working as a driver at a vehicle repair shop.

"I didn't shoot anyone, I wasn't shot," Rolich said in a later autobiography, adding, "And I wouldn't say I was at the center of the unrest. But until peace was restored, we did not know what we would go through or what we would not go through. Before I came back to left-hander Mickey Rolich, I was sergeant Mickey Rolich," he recalled.

After signing a $30,000 contract with Detroit in 1958 when he was 17, Rolich finally made his big league debut in 1963 and began to show off his skills. After a complete game from his first season, he established himself as a key Detroit player based on his outstanding durability.

In 1968, he won 17 regular-season games, was named an All-Star three times in four years from 1969 to 1972, and in 1971, he made 45 starts and recorded 29 complete throws. He played 376 innings and posted a monstrous record of 25 wins and 308 strikeouts. He won 22 games the following year.

Since 1974, he has pitched more than 41 games in four consecutive years, throwing more than 308 innings every year. Most pitchers used ice packs, but Rolich showed an unusual management method to reduce swelling by immersing his left arm in hot water after each game.

Lolich, who played as a one-club man, moved to the New York Mets through a trade after the end of the 1975 season and announced his retirement after a rather disappointing season with only 8-13 losses, but returned to the San Diego Padres the following year and played for two more seasons.

After retiring, he returned to Michigan and took over a donut shop in the northern suburbs of Detroit. He learned how to make doughnuts himself and devoted himself to his business, but eventually sold them. He said, "I wasted my time after finishing my career as a baseball player. It's like fried apples," he said.

Although he did not make the Hall of Fame, he went 3,638 ⅓ in 496 starts in 16 years, recording 217 wins and 191 losses, 2832 strikeouts, and an ERA of 3.44. The complete game reached 195 times. In the National Baseball Journalists Association (BBWAA) Hall of Fame vote, he won only 25.5% of the vote for 15 years, but he was named in the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1982 and was also inducted into the Croatian-American Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.

"Rolich was a great pitcher, teammate, and champion, but he was more than that to me," said Willie Horton, a former Detroit outfielder who was his best teammate. "He was like my brother for over 60 years. I will keep my precious memories with him deep in my heart and never forget the strong bond we shared. I express my deepest condolences to the deceased's wife, Joyce, her family, and everyone who loved him," he said.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.