Mike Cuellar
A crafty left-hander with a baffling screwball, he anchored the pitching-rich Orioles dynasty that dominated the American League at the turn of the 1970s.
1937–2010 (age 73)·Cuban baseball player·Birthday: May 8·The Silent Generation
Biography
Mike Cuellar's path to baseball greatness was a slow, winding curve. A Cuban defector who didn't become a full-time major league starter until he was 31, he made up for lost time with poetic efficiency. Traded to the Baltimore Orioles, he became the perfect complement to Jim Palmer in a rotation that was the engine of a baseball powerhouse. Cuellar didn't overpower hitters; he confused them with a masterful changeup and a screwball that fluttered away from right-handed bats. His pitching was a study in control and guile, earning him a share of the 1969 Cy Young Award in a rare tie. For several seasons, he was the steady, reliable force who took the ball every fourth day and delivered wins, a key architect of the Orioles' three consecutive American League pennants and their 1970 World Series championship.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Mike was born in 1937, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Mike Was Born
The biggest hits of 1937
#1 Movie
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Best Picture
The Life of Emile Zola
Mike's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1937Born
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1942Started school
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1950Became a teenager
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1953Could drive
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1955Could vote
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1958Turned 21
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1967Turned 30
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1977Turned 40
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 50
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 60
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 70
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2010Died at 73
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
Key Achievements
- Co-won the American League Cy Young Award in 1969 (tying with Denny McLain).
- Won 20 or more games in a season four times while pitching for the Baltimore Orioles.
- Was a key starting pitcher for the Orioles team that won the 1970 World Series.
- Pitched a no-hitter on July 27, 1970, for the Baltimore Orioles against the Kansas City Royals.
Did You Know?
He defected from Cuba in 1964 while the team he played for was in Mexico for a tournament.
He led the American League in wins in 1970, posting a record of 24-8.
Cuellar and fellow Orioles pitcher Jim Palmer combined to win the Cy Young Award three years in a row (1969-1971).
He was known for his superstitious nature, often wearing the same undershirt for weeks during a winning streak.
“My screwball didn't screw; it sailed. It was a pitch that listened.”
