Answers to Tiger Trivia #9 Honoring Mark Fidrych

1.) Mark Fidrych’s 19 victories during 1976 were the most for a Tiger rookie in how many years?

Answer: 68 years. Twenty-three year old rookie pitcher Ed Summers went 24-12 for the 1908 Tigers.

2.) How many errors did Mark Fidrych commit during his rookie year in 78 chances?

Answer: Zero.

3.) His 29 starts during the 1976 season drew how many fans?

Answer: 901,239 fans (18 starts at Tiger Stadium—605,677 in attendance; 11 starts on the road—295,562 in attendance) for an average of 31,077 per start.

4.) Mark Fidrych was named Rookie of Year honors by several organizations and was the starting pitcher in the All Star game in 1976. Name three awards he received and the organizations that gave him the awards during that first season.

Answer: The Bird received the following honors following the 1976 season: AL Rookie of the Year, Baseball Writers Assn. of America; Major League Man of the Year, National Assn. of Professional Baseball Leagues; AL Rookie of the Year and All Star Team, United Press International; AL Rookie Pitcher of the Year, Sporting News; AL Rookie of the Year and All Star Team, Baseball Digest; Major League Rookie All Star Team, Topps Chewing Gum; AL Pitcher of the Year, Rookie of the Year and All Star Team, Baseball Bulletin; Tiger of the Year, Detroit Baseball Writers Assn.; Tiger Rookie of the Year, Detroit Sports Broadcasters Assn.; Sportsman of the Year, Detroit United Fund; Tiger of the Year, Detroit March of Dimes. Additionally, he was AL runner-up for the Cy Young Award from the Baseball Writers Assn. of America.

5.) Mark Fidrych was also named to the 1977 American League All Star team. What was his All Star game win-loss record, ERA, and how many batters did he strike out?

Answer: Although named to the 1977 team, he did not play. His All Star game stats were: 0 wins, 1 loss; ERA of 9.00; and 1 strike out.

Bonus Question:

Who were the other Tigers named to that 1976 American League All Star Team?

Answer: Outfielders Ron LeFlore and Rusty Staub