Mike Timlin
Timlin (front) after winning the 2007 World Series
Relief pitcher
Born: March 10, 1966 (1966-03-10) (age 43) Midland, Texas
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 8, 1991 for the Toronto Blue Jays
Last MLB appearance
September 28, 2008 for the Boston Red Sox
Career statistics
Win-Loss	75-73
Earned run average	3.63
Strikeouts	872
Saves	141
Teams
Toronto Blue Jays (1991–1997) Seattle Mariners (1997–1998) Baltimore Orioles (1999–2000) St. Louis Cardinals (2000–2002) Philadelphia Phillies (2002) Boston Red Sox (2003–2008)
Career highlights and awards
4x World Series champion (1992, 1993, 2004, 2007)

Michael August Timlin (pronounced /ˈtɪmlɪn/) (born March 10, 1966, in Midland, Texas) is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball.

[edit] Early life

Timlin graduated from Midland High School in Midland, Texas. He then attended and pitched at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta.

[edit] Baseball career (1991-2008)

A veteran setup pitcher, Timlin has a good command of his 93 MPH fastball. He also throws a slider and a sinker that have a downward break, inducing a significant number of ground balls.

Timlin assisted on the final out of 1992 World Series in Game 6 by fielding a bunt by Atlanta Braves outfielder Otis Nixon and throwing to Joe Carter at first base. Timlin also recorded a save for the game. Joe Carter gave Timlin the game ball shortly after the play was made.

Timlin did not allow a run during the 2003 postseason.^[1]

In 2004, Timlin made 76 pitching appearances, the third-most in Red Sox history and tied for fourth in American League history. On September 3, he made his 800th major league appearance, becoming only the 29th pitcher in major league history to reach that mark. Timlin made his 1,000th career appearance on August 31, 2007, against the Baltimore Orioles.

After his first three successful seasons with the Red Sox, Timlin struggled in 2006 and the beginning of 2007 due to injuries to his right shoulder and left oblique, making multiple visits to the disabled list. In the period after his return from the disabled list through July 23, 2007, Timlin recorded over 14 consecutive scoreless innings and appeared to have overcome any shoulder issues. In the week following, however, he has again experienced shoulder soreness.

Timlin appeared in the eighth inning of Game 1 of the 2007 World Series, pitching one inning of scoreless relief. The appearance came 15 years to the day that Timlin closed out the final game of the 1992 World Series

As of 2007, Timlin was the only active player to have played on four non-New York Yankees championship teams: (the 1992 and 1993 Toronto Blue Jays and the 2004 and 2007 Boston Red Sox).

On September 15, 2008, while playing the Tampa Bay Rays, Timlin set the record for most appearances by a right-handed relief pitcher with 1,050 games. He passed Kent Tekulve for first on the all-time list.

In 2008, his ERA rose to a career-high 5.66, giving up 1.6 home runs per 9 innings.

As of the end of the 2008 season, Timlin ranked seventh in appearances among all-time pitchers, with 1,058 appearances. He was second among active pitchers, behind only Mike Stanton (1178).^[2]

On April 19, 2009, Timlin was honored by the Red Sox, who had him throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the day's game and declared it "Mike Timlin Day" at Fenway Park.

On July 29, 2009, Timlin signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies. On August 15, 2009 Timlin was released by the Colorado Rockies.

After his release from the Rockies, he retired from baseball.

[edit] Trivia

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (September 2007)

• Timlin, alongside former teammates Johnny Damon and Edgar Rentería, made an appearance on the TV Cartoon Arthur, providing his voice for the Elwood City Grebes pitcher "Winlin."

• His entrance music is Ram Jam's "Black Betty".

[edit] Personal life

He and his wife, Dawn, have two children, son Jake (born August 2, 1996) and daughter Mykala (born September 29, 2000).

[edit] See also

• List of Major League Baseball all-time saves leaders

[edit] References

1. ^ Baseball reference aricle on 2003 postseason
2. ^ Pitching Appearances Career Leaders

[edit] External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube