Michael Kendall Flanagan (December 16, 1951 – August 24, 2011) was an American professional baseball left-handed pitcher, front office executive, and color commentator. He spent 18 years as a player in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Baltimore Orioles (1975–1987, 1991–1992) and the Toronto Blue Jays (1987–1990).
Flanagan was a starting pitcher for the Orioles from 1975 through 1987. He was named to the American League (AL) All-Star Team once in 1978. In 1979, the first of two years he would play on an AL pennant winner, his 23 victories led the circuit and earned him the AL's Cy Young Award. He was a member of the Orioles' World Series Championship team in 1983. During the 1987 season, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, with whom he pitched through 1990. He returned to Baltimore to close out his playing career as a relief pitcher in 1991 and 1992. During this second tour, he combined with three other pitchers to throw a no-hitter against the Oakland Athletics on July 13, 1991.100 Things Orioles Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Dan Connolly, Triumph Books, Chicago, 2015, ISBN 978-1-62937-041-5, pp.210-11 He was also the last Orioles pitcher to appear in a major-league contest at Memorial Stadium. In an 18-season career, Flanagan posted a 167–143 record with 1,491 strikeouts and a 3.90 earned run average in 2,770 innings pitched.
He served in three different positions with the Orioles after his retirement as an active player. He was the pitching coach in 1995 and 1998 and the executive vice president of baseball operations from 2006 through 2008. At the time of his death, he was one of the team's broadcasters, a role he had previously held three times (1994, 1996–1997, and 1999–2002).
Early years 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.1971 Major League Baseball Draft, Rounds 11–20 Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
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. Flanagan said, "I really didn't know much about Dr. J until I came down on a fast break and pulled up to take a jump shot. Dr. J was nowhere in the area but, out of nowhere, he blocked the shot and nine players were running the other way. First thing I thought? Better work on my slider, because this is a whole different level of play." 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).1973 Major League Baseball draft, Rounds 1–10 Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved April 9, 2021. When he signed with the Orioles, the ball club agreed to finance the remainder of his college education. He progressed through the organization, with stops at Class A Miami (1973–1974), Class AA Asheville (1974), and Class AAA Rochester, where he went 13–4 with a 2.50 earned run average in 1975.
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.Baltimore Orioles 5, New York Yankees 4 (1); Friday, September 5, 1975 (N) at Memorial Stadium Retrosheet. Retrieved April 9, 2021. 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.Montgomery, Paul L. "Yanks Squeeze In One Last Victory," The New York Times, Monday, September 29, 1975. Retrieved July 10, 2022.New York Yankees 3, Baltimore Orioles 2 (2); Sunday, September 28, 1975 (D) at Shea Stadium Retrosheet. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
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.
Full-time starter and All-Star (1977–1978)
By 1977, Flanagan was serving as a starting pitcher full-time; the season was the first of four straight in which he would pitch at least 230 innings. On May 14, he threw his first career shutout, holding the Oakland Athletics to five hits in a 2–0 victory at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum. He had 13 strikeouts on September 27 when the Orioles defeated the Detroit Tigers 6–1. In 36 games (33 starts), he had a 15–10 record, a 3.64 ERA, 149 strikeouts, 70 walks, and 235 hits allowed in 235 innings.
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.Total Baseball, 5th ed., 1997, Viking Press, Thorn, John et al. ed, p. 255 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. He was not quite as effective in the second part of the season. His record was just 7–9 and his earned run average was 4.60. Towards the end of the season, on September 26, he was one out away from pitching a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians, with the Orioles leading 3–0. Then, Gary Alexander hit a home run. After the next two batters singled, bringing the potential go-ahead run to the plate, manager Earl Weaver replaced Flanagan with Don Stanhouse, who struck out the next hitter to preserve the victory. 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. After the game, pitching coach Ray Miller suggested that Flanagan's fastball was underrated, claiming that only five pitchers had thrown a harder one all year. Flanagan credited some of his success to learning how to throw a changeup; Scott McGregor taught him the pitch that season.
The 1979 season proved to be Flanagan's best, as he finished the year with a record of 23–9 and an earned run average of 3.08. He led the AL with 23 wins and five shutouts (tying for the latter with Ryan and Leonard), also ranking among AL leaders with a 3.08 earned run average (fourth behind Ron Guidry's 2.78, John's 2.96, and Dennis Eckersley's 2.99), 190 strikeouts (third behind Ryan's 223 and Guidry's 201), and innings pitched (third behind teammate Dennis Martínez's and John's ). 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.