Mike Timlin
A durable and clutch reliever who secured the final out for two different franchises to end historic championship droughts.
Born 1966 (age 60)·American baseball player·Birthday: March 10·Generation X
Biography
Mike Timlin operated in baseball's highest-pressure moments with the steady calm of a veteran fireman. Over 18 seasons, his sidearm delivery and sinker ball made him a manager's trusted option to extinguish late-inning rallies. His career is bookended by era-defining closings: as a young setup man for the Toronto Blue Jays, he recorded the final out of the 1992 World Series, bringing Canada its first title. More than a decade later, as a grizzled member of the Boston Red Sox bullpen, he was on the mound for the last out of the 2004 World Series, ending an 86-year curse. Timlin wasn't always the flashiest name, but his reliability in the crucible of October made him an indispensable thread in the fabric of two championship cultures.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Mike was born in 1966, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Mike Was Born
The biggest hits of 1966
#1 Movie
The Bible: In the Beginning
Best Picture
A Man for All Seasons
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Mike's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1966Born
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1971Started school
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1979Became a teenager
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Could drive
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1984Could vote
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Turned 21
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
1996Turned 30
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 40
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 50
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 60
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Recorded the final out in the 1992 World Series, securing the Toronto Blue Jays' first championship.
- Was part of the Boston Red Sox bullpen that won the 2004 World Series, breaking the 'Curse of the Bambino'.
- Appeared in 1,058 major league games, one of only 20 pitchers to reach the 1,000-game milestone.
Did You Know?
He won World Series rings 11 years apart with two different teams (1992 Toronto, 2004 Boston).
Timlin and his wife donated a significant sum to help build a baseball field for a youth league in Providence, Rhode Island.
He was drafted as a shortstop before being converted into a pitcher in the minor leagues.
“My job is simple: get the ball, throw strikes, and get outs.”
