Before coming to Baltimore, Cuellar bounced around the Reds, Cardinals and Astros, only to catch fire once he was an Oriole. 1969 was his first season in town and his first 20 game winning season, helping the Oriole make the World Series. His 23-11 record led to his first and only Cy Young award, but oddly enough, no all-star appearance. In 1970, he had a better season going 24-8, registering a staggering 21 complete games.
1971 saw Cuellar as a part of perhaps the most dominating starting staff in baseball history. Along with Dave McNally (21), Jim Palmer (20) and Pat Dobson (20), Cuellar recorded 20 wins.
Following his departure from Baltimore in 1976, Cuellar appeared in only two games for the California Angels in 1977 before ending his career. While looking at his career stats I realized he pitched in a different era of baseball, registering 185 career wins with 172 complete games.
He had a huge impact on fans during the golden years of Orioles baseball. After learning of his death, many sports personalities and fans spent the day recounting memories of his time here, proving he truly impacted the sports community.
He was a difficult signer after his career ended but did make some appearances in retired products. I snagged this one shortly after starting the quest.
Mike Cuellar 2005 Topps Retired Signatures Autographs #MC
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