Mike Boddicker

From SoSH

Born on August 23, 1957 in Cedar Rapids, IA. Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 6th round of the 1978_Amateur_Draft, he made his major league debut on October 4, 1980 and his Red Sox debut on July 31, 1988. He played his final game for the Sox on October 9, 1990, and played his final major league game on June 13, 1993.

Contents 1 Overall Career 2 Awards 3 Moments in the Sun 4 Quotes 5 Links

Overall Career

Michael James Boddicker was a durable, right-handed junkball pitcher whose primary pitches were a fastball that topped out in the upper 80's, a forkball/screwball that he called a "foshball", and a devastating curve. He came up through the Orioles farm system and reached the majors in 1980, though he pitched in just 10 games from 1980 to 1982. Boddicker joined the Orioles rotation for good in 1983 and had a phenomenal rookie year, going 16-8 with a 2.77 ERA in helping the Orioles make the playoffs. Mike pitched in game 2 of the 1983 ALCS, throwing a complete game shutout and earning ALCS MVP honors, and he pitched nearly as well in game 2 of the World Series that year, giving up just one unearned run in a complete game victory. After helping the Orioles win the World Series in '83, Boddicker had another great year in 1984, as he went 20-11 with a 2.79 ERA and led the American League in wins and ERA. 1985 was a letdown year, as he posted a mediocre ERA and won-loss record, numbers which he reprised in 1986 and 87.

In 1988, Boddicker was again posting a mediocre ERA and wallowing away on a last place Orioles team, when, on July 29, he was traded to the Red Sox for Brady Anderson and Curt Schilling; invigorated, Mike went 7-3 with a 2.63 ERA for the Red Sox to help them clinch the 1988 A.L. East Division Title. Because he was a soft-tosser, Boddicker was willing to pitch as much as the team needed, including on short rest if necessary; from August 5 to August 13 (a span of just 9 days) he started three games, and on August 20th, he threw an inning between starts when a starter was knocked out early, all without losing effectiveness. Boddicker pitched ineffectively, though, in game 3 of the 1988 ALCS, as the Sox were swept in four games by the Oakland A's.

1989 was again a disappointment, as Boddicker went 15-11 with an ERA of 4.00 for a Red Sox team which missed the playoffs by six games. Mike rebounded in 1990, though, going 18-7 with a 3.36 ERA and teaming with Roger Clemens to make a formidable 1-2 punch and send the Sox to the playoffs for the second time in three years. Boddicker pitched a complete game in game 3 of the 1990 ALCS and allowed just 2 earned runs, but lost the game anyway as the A's again swept the Sox.

Following the 1990 season, Boddicker signed with the Kansas City Royals. He spent one uninspiring and oft injured year in the Royals rotation before being relegated to the bullpen in 1992. Mike went to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1993, and, after 10 starts for the Brewers leading to a 5.67 ERA, Boddicker retired.

Awards

• 1983 ALCS MVP
• 1984 American League All Star
• 1990 American League Gold Glove
• 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting, 1983
• 4th in Cy Young Award voting, 1984

Moments in the Sun

• Struck out 14 in 1983 ALCS game 2 to tie the LCS record for strikeouts
• Was on the mound when the Red Sox clinched the 1988 A.L. East Division Title on September 29, 1988; he threw a complete game shutout that day to beat the Cleveland Indians, 12-0
• Was the winning pitcher when the Red Sox clinched the 1990 A.L. East Division Title on October 3, 1990; he allowed 1 run in 7 innings to defeat the Chicago White Sox, 3-1

Quotes

• "[Hitters on their way back to the dugout] scream at me sometimes. They scream, 'Challenge somebody!' and things like that. I like that, I like to hear guys screaming at me, I like guys throwing their helmets in the dugout, or bats flying, or to hear crashing down there. That means you've got them." -- Mike Boddicker, quoted in The Boston Globe, September 10, 1988[1]

Links

• Mike Boddicker Fan Page
• Mike Boddicker's career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com