Fidrych, who was lovingly known as The Bird, pitched a complete game against the Cleveland Indians on this day in 1976. He allowed only two hits and one run that day. His line included five strikeouts and one walk.
The first hit of the day came from Buddy Bell, who commented on the way that The Bird behaved on the mound. “He really messes up your concentration. He’s always talking to himself. … All you could hear was, ‘OK, ball, we’re going to do this.'”
In the days before the Internet and social media, Fidrych was an oddity in the game.