Mike Flanagan (baseball)

Mike Flanagan (baseball)

Michael Kendall Flanagan (December 16, 1951 – August 24, 2011) was an American left-handed pitcher, front office executive, and color commentator. With the exception of four years with the Toronto Blue Jays (1987–1990), he was with the Baltimore Orioles for his entire career in Major League Baseball (MLB).

Flanagan was a starting pitcher for the Orioles from 1975 through 1987. He was named to the American League (AL) All-Star Team once in 1978. The following year, the first of two times he would play on an AL pennant winner, his 23 victories led the circuit and earned him the league's Cy Young Award. He was a member of the Orioles' World Series Championship team in 1983. He returned to Baltimore to close out his playing career as a reliever in 1991 and 1992. During this second tour, he contributed to the most recent no-hitter thrown by the club. He was also the last Orioles pitcher to appear in a major-league contest at Memorial Stadium.

In an 18-season career, Flanagan posted a 167–143 record with 1491 strikeouts and a 3.90 ERA in 2770.0 innings pitched.

He served in three different positions with the Orioles after his retirement as an active player. He was the pitching coach in 1995 and 1998 and the executive vice president of baseball operations from 2006 through 2008. At the time of his death, he was one of the team's broadcasters, a role he had previously held three times (1994, 1996–1997, 1999–2002).