Mike Marshall, an Adrian, Mich., native who went on to become one of the most dominant relievers in baseball in the early 1970s, has died at the age of 78.
Marshall won the Cy Young Award with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1974, the first reliever to win the honor.
The Dodgers told the Associated Press that Marshall died Monday at his home in Zephyrhills, Fla., where he was receiving hospice care.
Michael Grant Marshall on Jan. 15, 1943, he graduated from Adrian High School and eventually earned a doctorate degree from Michigan State University, although he never played there.
Marshall signed his first professional contract with Philadelphia and made his Major League debut with the Detroit Tigers in 1967. After a strong season with the Toledo Mud Hens in 1968, Marshall was drafted by the expansion Seattle Pilots in 1969. He would go on to pitch in the big leagues through the 1981 season, relaying primarily on his trademark screwball.
Marshall was a two-time All-Star, led the league in games pitched four times and in saves three times. In his Cy Young season of 1974, Marshall pitched in 106 games, all in relief, and logged 208 innings, a number that is rarely even reached by starters today. He went 15-12 with a 2.42 ERA and beat out teammate Andy Messersmith to win the prestigious pitching award.
The Dodgers ultimately lost in the World Series to the Oakland Athletics.
Marshall later pitched for the Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins and New York Mets.
Marshall earned a doctorate in kinesiology at Michigan State and later advocated a pitching method he developed that he believed could eradicate arm injuries.
Marshall is survived by his wife, Erica. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Nancy, who died April 30 in Minnesota at age 78. The couple had daughters Deborah, Rebekah and Kerry.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.