Conversations of Our PastTime is an interview series in which I ask former MLB players about their playing days and the things that molded their career and the life after their career. Today: Mike Marshall, the screwball pitcher who won the Cy Young in 1974 as a relief pitcher who believes that his techniques could eradicate the injuries that plague pitchers. Mike has been an outcast of baseball almost his entire life. He developed a reputation for being too smart, and baseball traditionalists loathe his pitching technique.
Mike’s credentials speak for themselves: a doctorate in exercise physiology, 14 years in the majors, a 5-team league leader in games finished, three Fireman of the Year awards, two All-Star selections, the Cy Young and two MLB records-106 pitching appearances in a year (1974) and 13 straight appearances that year.