| Mike Boddicker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1957-08-23)August 23, 1957 (age 68) Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| October 4, 1980, for the Baltimore Orioles | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 13, 1993, for the Milwaukee Brewers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 134–116 |
| Earned run average | 3.80 |
| Strikeouts | 1,330 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Michael James Boddicker (born August 23, 1957) is an American right-handed formerMajor League Baseballpitcher for theBaltimore Orioles (1980–1988),Boston Red Sox (1988–1990),Kansas City Royals (1991–1992), andMilwaukee Brewers (1993). He was theALCS MVP in1983 and was an American League All-Star in 1984.
Boddicker was born inCedar Rapids, Iowa, on August 23, 1957.[1][2] His ancestors (Johan & Elisabeth (Jacobi) Boddicker) emigrated in 1861 from the village of Brilon,Province of Westphalia, which was situated in current-day Germany, and were among the original settlers ofNorway, Iowa, where he was raised. He was the youngest of five children to Harold and Dolly. His father, who was commonly known as Bus, operated a travellinghammermill forgrain milling before becoming acustodian at the localelementary school.[3] He is a distant cousin of the musicianMichael Boddicker.
He was drafted by theMontreal Expos in 1975, but decided to attend theUniversity of Iowa.[4] He was a First-team All-Big Ten pitcher in 1978 and third-team All-Big Ten as an infielder in 1976. In 1978, he led the NCAA with an average 11.5 strikeouts per game. He held school records with six career shutouts and 0.79 ERA in a season. He led the team in innings and strikeouts in 1978 and 1979 and led the team in batting average in 1978 (.350) and doubles in 1978 (9) and 1976 (9). He finished his career with 189 strikeouts, ranking in the top 10 in school history.[5]
Boddicker's pitching repertoire, once called "Little League slop" byRod Carew, featuredoff-speed pitches and deception to compensate for a lack of power.[6] He was able to throw from three different arm angles. He had afastball that never came close to reaching 90 miles per hour. The one pitch that made him famous was the fosh, which he called "a glorifiedchangeup." Another one he used with success was theslurve.Tony Phillips once commented, "What I noticed about him is that he lets you get yourself out. I find myself sometimes actually jumping at his pitches, being overanxious because he doesn't throw very fast, and I wind up popping the ball up."[7]
Boddicker had a win–loss record of 134–116 with a 3.80 ERA during his career. In his rookie season, 1983, he went 16–8 with a 2.77 ERA and led the majors with five shutouts. Perhaps his best season was1984, when he went 20–11 with a 2.79ERA (leading theAmerican League in both wins and ERA). He also won theGold Glove Award in1990.
Boddicker had a notable performance in the 1983 postseason. With his team down 1–0 in both theALCS andWorld Series, Boddicker pitched his team out of the hole by winning Game 2 of the ALCS 4–0 against the Chicago White Sox (complete game shutout) and Game 2 of the World Series 4–1 against the Philadelphia Phillies en route to a world championship.After going 0–8 with a 5.83 ERA to begin the1988 campaign, Boddicker rebounded with a 6–4 record and a 2.95 ERA in his last 13 starts with the Orioles. On a team that lost its first 21 games of the season and was never in postseason contention, he was traded to theBoston Red Sox forBrady Anderson andCurt Schilling on July 29, 1988, two days prior to the non-waivers trade deadline. Contending for theAmerican League East title, the Red Sox outbid theMinnesota Twins andOakland Athletics to land him.[8] Boddicker went 7–3 down the stretch for the Sox, helping them win the AL East crown that year. He went 15–11 in1989 and in 1990 went 17–8 with a 3.36 ERA while helping the Red Sox win another division title.
After signing with the Royals, he finished 12–12 with a 4.08 ERA in 1991, his last full season (30 games). After his contract was purchased by the Brewers, he pitched 54 innings for them in 1993, his final year. He finished 3–5 with a 5.67 ERA that year.
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