John Hiller never set out to be extraordinary, at least not beyond his dream to be a successful pitcher in the major leagues.
He did that, too, but it was what happened during the offseason as a 27-year-old that continues to define him 46 years later.
Hiller, who spent his entire 15-year career with the Detroit Tigers as a versatile starter and reliever, suffered a heart attack on Jan. 11, 1971. It was so intense it was three heart attacks in succession.
To this day, no one has recovered from such an incident to become as productive as Hiller was in subsequent seasons.