Most years, the most famous horse in Baltimore is whichever wins the Preakness. But in the summer of 1969, there was a new speedster in town. Mike “Crazy Horse” Cuellar arrived and immediately helped the Orioles transition from a club on the rise to an American League dynasty.
Baltimore sent former Rookie of the Year Curt Blefary and John Mason to Houston in exchange for Cuellar and two prospects in December 1968. Cuellar had posted an 8-11 record in ‘68, but his ERA and WHIP were even lower than his All-Star campaign with the Astros in 1967.