John Hiller---1975
Most players, particularly in the
1970s, did not associate the colors
fuchsia and lime green with
manliness, particularly when
designed on a baseball card. But
John Hiller probably could not have
cared less what his card looked like
when this one was released in 1975.
The left-handed pitcher was simply
glad to be alive, not to mention
thrilled about continuing to pitch in
the major leagues.
Discovered on the sandlots of
Toronto, Hiller signed for nothing—
literally—yet won 14 games during
his first professional campaign, at
Jamestown in 1963. He debuted in
the big leagues with the Tigers in
1965 and bounced between the
minors and the majors before
spending the entire 1968 slate with
Detroit. It was during that season
when he established a major league
record that has since been broken by
fanning six consecutive batters at the
start of a game on August 6, 1968.
Hiller was a steady hurler who served
as a swingman for the Tigers pitching
staff during 1969 and 1970 before
suffering a massive stroke prior to
the 1971 campaign. He was placed
on the voluntarily retired list, yet
managed to work his way back to
serving as the Tigers’ batting
practice pitcher midway through the
1972 season. A month later, he was
back on the mound facing major
league competition and wound up
winning Game 4 of the American
League Championship Series for the
Tigers. Hiller proceeded to post 38
saves in 1973 to set another major
league mark and was named the
Comeback Player of the Year as well
as the Fireman of the Year while
going 10-5 with a 1.44 ERA in an
American League-best 65 outings.
In 1974, Hiller turned in a dream
fantasy player season when he went
17-14 with 13 saves out of the Detroit
bullpen, numbers that tied the AL
mark for wins in relief and the major
league record for losses in relief. He
wound up pitching at the game’s top
level until 1980, when the southpaw
retired with a Tiger club-record 125
saves and an impressive career ERA
of 2.83.
(9/20/08)
1970s, did not associate the colors
fuchsia and lime green with
manliness, particularly when
designed on a baseball card. But
John Hiller probably could not have
cared less what his card looked like
when this one was released in 1975.
The left-handed pitcher was simply
glad to be alive, not to mention
thrilled about continuing to pitch in
the major leagues.
Discovered on the sandlots of
Toronto, Hiller signed for nothing—
literally—yet won 14 games during
his first professional campaign, at
Jamestown in 1963. He debuted in
the big leagues with the Tigers in
1965 and bounced between the
minors and the majors before
spending the entire 1968 slate with
Detroit. It was during that season
when he established a major league
record that has since been broken by
fanning six consecutive batters at the
start of a game on August 6, 1968.
Hiller was a steady hurler who served
as a swingman for the Tigers pitching
staff during 1969 and 1970 before
suffering a massive stroke prior to
the 1971 campaign. He was placed
on the voluntarily retired list, yet
managed to work his way back to
serving as the Tigers’ batting
practice pitcher midway through the
1972 season. A month later, he was
back on the mound facing major
league competition and wound up
winning Game 4 of the American
League Championship Series for the
Tigers. Hiller proceeded to post 38
saves in 1973 to set another major
league mark and was named the
Comeback Player of the Year as well
as the Fireman of the Year while
going 10-5 with a 1.44 ERA in an
American League-best 65 outings.
In 1974, Hiller turned in a dream
fantasy player season when he went
17-14 with 13 saves out of the Detroit
bullpen, numbers that tied the AL
mark for wins in relief and the major
league record for losses in relief. He
wound up pitching at the game’s top
level until 1980, when the southpaw
retired with a Tiger club-record 125
saves and an impressive career ERA
of 2.83.
(9/20/08)
