Mike Flanagan (baseball)

Born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire, Mike was one of four children born to Ed and Lorraine Flanagan, the younger of their two sons. His grandfather, Ed Sr., had been a pitcher in the Boston Braves organization who could throw with both hands, and his father Ed had played minor league ball in the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers systems. Ed died on December 13, 2020. Under their tutelage, Flanagan once struck out 18 batters in a six inning Little League game. Flanagan graduated from Manchester (NH) Memorial High School, where he was on the baseball and basketball teams that each won consecutive New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association (NHIAA) Class L titles in 1970 and 1971. His pitching was limited in 1971 because of a left elbow injury he had sustained while playing American Legion Baseball for the local Henry J. Sweeney Post the previous summer. This factored into him not signing a contract after he was picked by the Houston Astros in the 15th round (346th overall) of the 1971 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft. ==University of Massachusetts==

Flanagan attended the University of Massachusetts (UMass), where he played baseball for the Minutemen in 1972 and 1973. He was a first-team All-Yankee Conference and first team All-New England selection in 1973, when he posted a 9–1 record with a 1.72 earned run average and 89 strikeouts, leading the Yankee Conference in all three categories. His .900 winning percentage was the best school single-season mark until Scott Meaney had a 6–0 record in 1990. Flanagan had a career earned run average of 1.19 and a career winning percentage of .923 (12–1), which are both still the best marks in school history. In addition to pitching for UMass, Flanagan played in the outfield. Offensively, he batted .320 in 128 at bats with six home runs and 29 runs batted in. As a freshman, Flanagan played basketball at UMass on the same Freshmen team as Rick Pitino. Flanagan and Pitino crossed paths with Julius Erving, who was a junior on the Varsity at the time. He received his degree from the UMass College of Education in 1975, and he was inducted into the UMass Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000. He was a pitcher and outfielder for the Falmouth Commodores in the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) during the summer of 1972. On the mound, he had a 7–1 record and a 2.18 ERA, while at the plate he batted .286 with 7 home runs. He was a member of the CCBL's inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2000. ==Professional career==

Baltimore Orioles (1975–1987) Breaking into the big leagues (1975–1976) Flanagan was selected again in the 1973 MLB draft, this time by the Baltimore Orioles in the 7th round (159th overall). When he signed with the Orioles, the ball club agreed to finance the remainder of his college education. His MLB career began with two appearances against the New York Yankees in the last month of the 1975 campaign. He made his debut pitching innings in relief of starter Wayne Garland in a 5–4 victory in the opener of a twi-night doubleheader at Memorial Stadium on September 5. His first start and decision was a 3–2 loss at Shea Stadium in the nightcap of another twin bill 23 days later on September 28 which was the final game of the regular season. He was on the verge of a shutout until the bottom of the ninth when the first three batters he faced reached base and Dyar Miller allowed all of them to score on a single and an error. Flanagan's 1976 campaign was split between Rochester and Baltimore. He did not get his first Major League win until a 7–1 complete-game triumph at home over the eventual American League (AL) West champion Kansas City Royals on September 1. In 20 games (10 starts), he had a 3–5 record, a 4.13 ERA, 56 strikeouts, 33 walks, and 83 hits allowed in 85 innings pitched. In 1978, Flanagan was the Orioles' Opening Day starter, the only year from 1974 through 1980 that Jim Palmer did not make the Opening Day start for Baltimore. Flanagan had a 10–1 record from May 5 through June 22, 1978, including a six-game winning streak from May 31 through June 22. He was selected to his only All-Star Game in 1978 after posting a 12–6 record and a 3.16 earned run average before the All-Star Break. Three times he pitch over nine innings in a game: 11 on June 13 in a 3–2 victory over the Seattle Mariners, 11 on July 17 in a 2–0 loss to the Texas Rangers, and on September 22 in a 7–5 loss to the Tigers. Flanagan was a workhorse for the Orioles in 1978, tying with Dennis Leonard for the AL lead with 40 games started and ranking fourth in the AL with innings pitched (behind teammate Palmer's 296, Leonard's , and Mike Caldwell's ), though he also led the AL in earned runs allowed with 126. His 19 wins were tied with Paul Splittorff for seventh in the AL, and he also tied with four others for fifth in the AL with 15 losses. He had a 4.03 earned run average and ranked fourth in the AL with 167 strikeouts (behind Nolan Ryan's 260, Ron Guidry's 248, and Leonard's 183). Cy Young Award winner (1979) After posting a 12–6 record and a 4.05 earned run average before the All-Star break in 1979, Flanagan posted a 12–3 record and a 2.15 earned run average in the latter part of the season. From July 9 through September 13, the Orioles only lost one game he pitched, an outing against the Yankees where Flanagan allowed three runs in a complete game but Tommy John allowed only two for New York. Flanagan posted a 12–1 record over 15 games during the stretch. In the second game of a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 1, Flanagan allowed one run and seven hits in a complete game, 5–1 victory, becoming the first pitcher in the major leagues to win 20 games in 1979. He won the Cy Young Award and the Sporting News AL Pitcher of the Year Award, also finishing sixth in AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting as the Orioles won the AL East. The starter for Game 2, Flanagan held the Angels to three runs through seven innings before getting pulled in the top of the eighth after the first three runners reached (though Rod Carew did so on an error). He was charged with six runs (four earned) in seven innings but picked up the win in Baltimore's 9–8 victory; Baltimore defeated the Angels in four games. Flanagan started Game 1 of the World Series, allowing four runs to the Pittsburgh Pirates but pitching the whole game in Baltimore's 5–4 triumph. Flanagan also was one of five pitchers the Orioles used in the ninth inning of Game 7. He gave up a single to the only batter he faced, Omar Moreno, who later scored as Pittsburgh went on to win the game 4–1 and the series 4–3. After Flanagan's season ended, on November 10, his hometown of Manchester honored him with "Mike Flanagan Day", in which he was escorted through town in a motorcade to the applause of over 1,000 spectators. Although his earned run average was more than one run higher for the team in 1980, he had a winning record once again. The 1981 Major League Baseball strike resulted in the cancellation of games in June and July. Flanagan's season was further interrupted in September, when tendonitis ended his streak of 157 scheduled starts made. "It's just an oil change and a 30,000-inning checkup," he told reporters. With no interruptions to his season this time, he was again able to pitch over 200 innings, with 236 thrown. However, he suffered a major injury in the first inning of the opener of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox on May 17, twisting his left knee. The injury kept him out of action until August 7 and kept his knee in a brace until May 24, 1984. Still, Flanagan won five games in a row from August 28 through September 17 as Baltimore won the AL East title. In Game 3 of the ALCS against the White Sox, Flanagan held the team to one run before getting replaced by Sammy Stewart in the sixth inning with his team up 6–1. He was awarded the victory in the 11–1 triumph, and Baltimore went on to defeat Chicago in four games. He started Game 3 of the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, giving up solo home runs to Gary Matthews and Joe Morgan before getting pinch-hit for by Ken Singleton in the fifth inning, as Baltimore had a man on second with two outs and a chance to score its first run against Steve Carlton. Singleton struck out, but the Orioles went on to win 3–2 before eventually winning the series in five games. Though 1979 was his best season statistically, Flanagan considered the World Championship campaign of 1983 as his best year in baseball. In 34 games (all starts), he had a 3.53 ERA, 115 strikeouts, 81 walks, and 213 hits allowed in innings. It was the last season in which he would record at least 100 strikeouts. In 15 starts, he had a 4–5 record, a 5.13 ERA, 42 strikeouts, 28 walks, and 101 hits allowed in 86 innings pitched. In 29 games (28 starts) in 1986, he had a 7–11 record, a 4.24 ERA, 96 strikeouts, 66 walks, and 179 hits allowed in 172 innings pitched. When Flanagan joined the Blue Jays, the team released Phil Niekro to make room for him on their roster. His most memorable performance with the Blue Jays took place at Tiger Stadium on October 3, 1987, the penultimate game of the regular season. With Toronto in a first-place tie with Detroit and having lost its last five contests, Flanagan outlasted Jack Morris by pitching 11 innings before departing with the match deadlocked at 2–2. The Blue Jays ended up losing the game 3–2 one inning later and the AL East championship the following afternoon. Morris said after the game, "Flanagan was so great, so competitive, that I considered my job to be survival – somehow keep us tied until he left the game. We weren't going to get to the playoffs beating him, we could only get there surviving him." Healthy all season, he pitched 211 innings, topping the 200-inning mark for the first time since 1984 and last time in his career. In 30 games (all starts), he had an 8–10 record, a 3.93 ERA, 47 strikeouts, 47 walks, and 186 hits allowed in innings. He took the loss in the game, and the Athletics went on to win the series in five games. Flanagan's final appearance with Toronto was a start that resulted in a 3–1 loss at home to the Tigers on May 4, 1990, as he surrendered all 3 runs in innings. He was released on May 8. In five starts, he had posted a 2–2 record, a 5.31 ERA, five strikeouts, eight walks, and 28 hits allowed in innings pitched. On September 27, manager Johnny Oates brought him in to record the last two outs by an Oriole pitcher in the final baseball game played at Memorial Stadium, a 7–1 loss to the Tigers. In 64 games (just one of which was a start), he had a 2–7 record, a 2.38 ERA, 55 strikeouts, 25 walks, and 84 hits allowed in innings. He also recorded three saves, giving him a total of four in his career, as he had previously recorded one in 1977. In 42 games, all in relief, he had no record, an 8.05 ERA, 17 strikeouts, 23 walks, and 50 hits allowed in innings. ==Legacy==

In an 18-season career, Flanagan posted a 167–143 record with a 3.90 ERA, 1,491 strikeouts, 890 walks, and 2,806 hits allowed in 2,770 innings pitched. Among the franchise's single-season record-holders, his 23 wins in 1979 are tied with Mike Cuellar's 1969 total and Palmer's 1975 total for sixth-best and his 40 starts in 1978 are tied with several others for first. The Orioles inducted Flanagan into their Hall of Fame in 1994. When the Blue Jays allowed Tony Solaita to sign with the Nippon-Ham Fighters after the 1979 campaign, he was dubbed "Tony Obsolaita". Flanagan added that pitchers became "Cy-bex" if they were injured and "Cy-onara" when they were no longer effective. Two monikers that stuck were "Full Pack" and "Stan the Man Unusual", both of which were coined for Don Stanhouse; the former nickname referred to the relief pitcher's causing manager Earl Weaver to smoke a full pack of cigarettes while Stanhouse was pitching, and the latter nickname was a play on "Stan the Man" Musial's nickname. This nickname concept was later popularized by ESPN's Chris Berman, who was inspired by the feature in Gammons' column. ==Post-playing days==

After his playing career ended, Flanagan remained involved with the Orioles in various capacities. His career as a color commentator on Orioles telecasts began when he made broadcasts for Home Team Sports (HTS) in 1994. In 1995, he served as the Orioles pitching coach under manager Phil Regan. He also teamed with Michael Reghi in 1997. In 1998, he was succeeded by Rick Cerone as he again became the pitching coach for the Orioles, this time under Miller. Flanagan rejoined Reghi in the broadcast booth in 1999. He continued as a commentator through the 2002 season, during which HTS evolved into Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. After the 2002 season, Buck Martinez was hired as a broadcaster, as Flanagan and Jim Beattie were named co-vice presidents of baseball operations for the Orioles in December 2002. When Beattie was dismissed following the 2005 season, Flanagan became the Orioles' executive vice president of baseball operations, a position equal to the status of general manager. He served in this role until 2007, when Andy MacPhail replaced him as the team's top executive. Flanagan remained with the team in a lesser capacity until his contract expired after the 2008 season. ==Pitching style==

Flanagan's pitch selection included a slow curve, a heavy sinker, a fastball, and the changeup McGregor taught him in 1979. According to Rick Dempsey, who caught Flanagan with the Orioles, "On the days he didn't have good stuff, he just kept coming at you. He would change his rhythm, change his speed, drop down, throw a sidearm curveball—use every weapon in his arsenal to get you out. And then on the days when he had good stuff, you had no chance against him." His fastball was not one of baseball's fastest, but he compensated for this by relying on the other three pitches to win ballgames. ==Personal life==

Flanagan married his first wife, Kathy Walsh, in January 1977. Mike and Kathy had a second daughter, Kathryn "Katie" Kendall. Later, they divorced, and Mike married Alex Lynn Brienza, with whom he had a third daughter, Kendall. ==Death==

When Flanagan's wife Alex did not hear from her husband on August 24, 2011, she phoned a neighbor for help. The neighbor went to the home and called 9-1-1 after failing to find him. Police discovered a body on the property but could not immediately determine the identity because the wounds were so severe. The body was later identified as Flanagan, with the cause of death determined to be a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head. Police said that Flanagan was distressed about financial issues. WBAL-TV reported that Flanagan was still despondent about his perceived failures during his tenure in the Orioles' front office. About one year after her husband's death, Alex Flanagan told Dan Rodricks of the Baltimore Sun that her husband had struggled with depression, seeing a therapist for over 20 years. She also said that he had an alcohol problem. ==See also==