Stu Baron C'mon John, the Mets did the Tigers a huge favor by taking this washed-up pitcher off their hands and giving them a great hitter like Rusty. You can't be serious. support. April 23, 2003 to realizing he was one of the worst trades in Mets history, before Seaver went to the Reds. Take a look at his stats on baseball-reference and you will shake your head. 05 SEC. May 9, 2002 However, it baffled me why the '76 Mets, who had Seaver, Koosman and Matlack, would trade one of their best hitters and an every-day player (and they didn't have that many good hitters) for a fourth or fifth starting pitcher. He was overweight and kind of babyfaced but I don't remember anyone being more focused or a battler. Shickhaus Franks Five years before he became a Met, Lolich threw for 376 innings! October 18, 2008 Mickey pitched almost 200 innings in 76, gave up less hits than innings and his era was in the low 3.00's. Lolich pitched fairly well with the Mets, in fact I recall a 2-0 shutout at Shea he pitched against the Cardinals in about two hours. An E.R.A of 3.22 in the mid 70's was still pretty respectable. Wood again went the distance, allowing just 2 runs. He learned to pitch lefty in order to strengthen his left hand and arm after he lost the use of his right hand for a few years as a child. His era of 3.22 is only .09% more than 20-game winner Carlton for the Phils. Three bad starts on 8/3 and 8/13 as well as his next to last start on 9/15 is what really bloated his ERA, not that 3.22 even in the '70s was that shabby.Yes, he was far removed from his prime but to say he sucked is pretty short sighted and flies in the face of the fact that he pitched well enough to be a 12-15 game winner, but then this is the same year Seaver pitched Cy Young caliber ball and went only 14-11. Ken Akerman Five years before he became a Met, Lolich threw for 376 innings! Mickey was a great pitcher but was not happy in New York. I looked him up in The Sports Encyclopedia 2002 and they have 6' and 210 lbs. He also hit a home run in Game Two of the Series and outpitched Denny "31 Win" McClain in the Series. Fact is Lolich was always overweight. May 25, 2001 As somebody mentioned previously, this is really all Mike Vail's fault. bogeyman Yes, Mickey had some great years with the Tigers, no disrespect to him, but acquiring him at the cost of Rusty was one of the Mets' top three bonehead trades. So he went from being the long-time Tiger Ace (and best Tiger- the 1968 World Series was won by him- and also almost the 1972 Playoffs) to just a nobody for New York- can you blame him for this back-stabbing trade by Tiger management? What an interesting parallel, huh? As a kid collecting baseball cards and watching ballgames in the '70s, I remember being struck by Lolich's belly. August 7, 2018 But I think the final verdict has to be that neither team would have fared much differently with or without the Lolich/Staub trade. His era of 3.22 is only .09% more than 20-game winner Carlton for the Phils. Jay The two 13-inning games didn't even count for complete games because they went 15 innings! Usually a bad trade doesn't reveal itself as bad until later when the player that came clearly is not working out. That would make him a star in today's market. Lolich finished his career 12th on the all-time strikeout list with 2,832, second only to Steve Carlton among left-handers. If he had finished his career in Detroit, he probably would have been elected to the Hall Of Fame, with perhaps two more seasons of 15 wins. How Mickey still had an arm when he pitched for us is amazing. In San Diego they had a fan club for him called the Mickey Lolich Gut Club. News radio WWJ was a birthday gift from Detroit News Publisher W.E. May 7, 2013 As it is, he was traded to a team with a set of already existent aces- Seaver and Koosman. May 6, 2003 No contest. I find it odd that he didn't play in 1977. But then Vail got hurt, and Kranepool and the aging Torre got more playing time.The better plan was to keep Staub, and let Milner and Vail fight for a spot. Two quick points that haven't been mentioned:- It was Mike Vail's fantastic debut that led the Mets to believe they had a replacement for Staub. Peter Five years before he became a Met, Lolich threw for 376 innings! Did you boo him or make fun out of him? Mickey was a fantastic pitcher for the Tigers. support. Jamey Bumbalo Raymond Malcuit October 4, 2006 (With three lefties and a Seaver, the Mets were lefty killers) But the Mets needed hitting. Five years before he became a Met, Lolich threw for 376 innings! April 23, 2003 I don't know if Mickey belongs in Cooperstown but he sure deserved more than 25% of the vote which was his highest showing. Maybe when he was 15 years old he was 170, but at no point in his major league career was he ever 170. Another guy who didn't get enough run support, and - yes - he ended up being blamed for the Staub trade rather than Grant himself. According to his profile above, his height and weight are listed as follows:Height: 6.01 Weight: 170170 pounds on a 6 ft. 1 in. GoMets2006 As Sonny Jurgenson once said "you don't throw the ball with your stomach." Mickey Lolich was a great pitcher in the American League. May 7, 2013 - It was Mike Vail's fantastic debut that led the Mets to believe they had a replacement for Staub. April 6, 2012 Yes, Mickey had some great years with the Tigers, no disrespect to him, but acquiring him at the cost of Rusty was one of the Mets' top three bonehead trades. Let me say that again, 376 and that's without a pitch count. Reading this brings back my memory of the trade that sent Rusty packing to Detroit. to realizing he was one of the worst trades in Mets history, before Seaver went to the Reds. Really? I remember that the Daily News at the time would have a one-page section on Sunday that showed some of the athletes with their families away from the ballpark. Michael Only two others, Steve Carlton and Randy Johnson, have surpassed him. Ramblin' Pete In his first full season 1964, Mickey Lolich went 18-9 an ERA of 3.26. September 25, 2013 The hilly farm country is closer to the Silverdome, home of the football Lions, than it is to Tiger Stadium and Lolich attended his first baseball game in three years last Friday, when the Tigers clinched the American League East. Mickey was featured riding his motorcyle. Lolich won complete games in Games 2 & 5 and faced and beat Gibson and the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 7 by the score of 4-1 as the Tigers won the World Championship. Mickey Lolich captured the sporting headlines in 1968 by upstaging Hall of Famer, Bob Gibson, in the World Series. Mickey Lolich captured the sporting headlines in 1968 by upstaging Hall of Famer, Bob Gibson, in the World Series. eddiek When he was with the Mets, I gave him the name "TOO MUCH EATER" but then again the Orange and Blue has always had big boned hurlers (El Sid. This has never happened before? For a fourth starter, on a four man rotation, Lolich was decent. Mickey liked his doughnuts. Peter But this one defied all logic from the beginning. Lolich's main purpose was to pitch and he couldn't even do that for us. Lolich - donuts Staub - steak.The food metaphor of trading a steak for a donut is accurate in this and many Mets trades.Would love to see a book written with lists and analysis of all Mets trades. But I think the final verdict has to be that neither team would have fared much differently with or without the Lolich/Staub trade. Fact is Lolich was always overweight. snook Bobster1985 Mickey was at the tail end of his career when he came to the Mets. What an interesting parallel, huh? Michael October 4, 2006 Only two others, Steve Carlton and Randy Johnson, have surpassed him. Grant was a real hindrance to the Mets. June 30, 2019 Rusty could hit with the lights out. Robert As it is, he was traded to a team with a set of already existent aces- Seaver and Koosman. Having this claim (in addition to his World Series MVP) is definitely worthy of the Hall of Fame. September 24, 2005 Ok, the height is correct but make no mistake,a consistent, determined winner, Mickey Lolich was in the spotlight throughout his career. Three bad starts on 8/3 and 8/13 as well as his next to last start on 9/15 is what really bloated his ERA, not that 3.22 even in the '70s was that shabby.Yes, he was far removed from his prime but to say he sucked is pretty short sighted and flies in the face of the fact that he pitched well enough to be a 12-15 game winner, but then this is the same year Seaver pitched Cy Young caliber ball and went only 14-11. April 23, 2003 April 27, 2013 The bat-and-ball-shaped sign confirms that the shop belongs to the Mickey Lolich, the lefty who won 217 games and struck out 2,832 batters in a 16-year career with the Detroit Tigers. John Bruce Lolich won complete games in Games 2 & 5 and faced and beat Gibson and the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 7 by the score of 4-1 as the Tigers won the World Championship. Lolich struck out more American League hitters than any other lefty in the history of baseball- that includes Randy Johnson, etc. to realizing he was one of the worst trades in Mets history, before Seaver went to the Reds. - Now for the trade itself. That would make him a star in today's market. Baseball burnt him out. Mickey Lolich pitched for 16 years in the major leagues, the first 13 with the Detroit Tigers. Mickey was a fantastic pitcher for the Tigers. Given his sugary surroundings for the past 12 years, that's quite a feat. feat fan Within a year, the corpulent Lolich had retired to open a doughnut shop in suburban Detroit. But what can you expect when the team only averaged 3.4 runs for Seaver per start and 3.3 for Lolich? NYB Buff I saw Lolich pitch at Shea on July 29, 1976, a Thursday afternoon game following morning showers, probably a getaway game, attended by a sparse crowd of 12,588. January 12, 2011 But in his final season with the Tigers, he became the all-time leader in strikeouts for left-handed pitchers. He may have left behind a fine legacy in Detroit but when he got to New York he stunk.You weren't happy with Rusty and we weren't happy with Lolich, so let's just call the trade a wash. Case closed. Cut him some slack. Not to say the trade wasn't awful - but come on! December 8, 2006 I saw Lolich pitch at Shea on July 29, 1976, a Thursday afternoon game following morning showers, probably a getaway game, attended by a sparse crowd of 12,588. I'm still not clear - he traded Mickey Lolich to improve team speed? October 19, 2011 Mickey Lolich did not pitch badly for the Mets in 1976. mets Jay April 23, 2003 Shari I guess the idea that everyone loves a jolly fat guy is true. LA-Mets Or even a platoon as Vail was righty, and Milner was lefty.In the days of 4-man rotation, Seaver-Koosman-Matlack had them covered 75% of the time. Jamey Bumbalo The Lolich for Rusty Staub trade might be the first and only trade where two players who were well known for food establishments were traded for each other. He pitched very good ball for you. Maudlin, anecdotal sentiment at its best! He had a 2.59 ERA at the end of July. November 12, 2006 snook Pitchers have good days and then once in a while they hang a curve? So he went from being the long-time Tiger Ace (and best Tiger- the 1968 World Series was won by him- and also almost the 1972 Playoffs) to just a nobody for New York- can you blame him for this back-stabbing trade by Tiger management? He had a 2.59 ERA at the end of July. But I have to say, I laughed out loud when I saw his physical statistics on this site. mets October 4, 2005 In that same year he went 13, 13, 12, 11 and 10 innings in 5 games. Lolich - donuts Staub - steak.The food metaphor of trading a steak for a donut is accurate in this and many Mets trades.Would love to see a book written with lists and analysis of all Mets trades. I remember when M. Donald Grant traded Staub for Lolich he explained it to disgusted NY sports fans by saying something like "the team needs more speed. A Staub-Kingman combo would have provided more run support for big three, and probably a 90+ win season. Cut him some slack. Let me say that again, 376 and that's without a pitch count. He was my dad's favorite Met, though, I think because here was a gut with a gut as big as my dad's who was out there flinging baseballs for money. Too bad we waited until '76 to bring him in, although his numbers indicated a lack of run support. Within a year, the corpulent Lolich had retired to open a doughnut shop in suburban Detroit. October 13, 2008 May 8, 2003 Al Lolich was a fine pitcher. John Bruce Bob P bob saunders I remember as a 11 year old when the Mets traded for him thinking "Great, we have Mickey Lolich! Mickey was finished and Rusty still had about 8-10 years left, even though the last couple were solely as a pinch hitter. I remember as a 11 year old when the Mets traded for him thinking "Great, we have Mickey Lolich! Mickey Lolich did not pitch badly for the Mets in 1976. July 15, 2016 April 27, 2013 Rusty played another decade. He wanted to finish out his career in Detroit, where he had some great years (the photo of him jumping on Bill Freehan after the final out in the 1968 World Series is a classic). LA-Mets I was 7 years old, listening to the Mets on the radio in the car with my mother. Years old, listening to the Reds an ERA of 3.22 in the mid 70 's was pretty. The Sports Encyclopedia 2002 and they have 6 ' and 210 lbs history. 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