Cuellar, "Mike" (Miguel A.)
Baseball
b. May 8, 1937, Las Villas, Cuba
A clever left-handed pitcher with an excellent change-up, Cuellar played briefly with the NL's Cincinnati Reds in 1959, the St. Louis Cardinals in 1964, and the Houston Astros in 1965 before becoming a regular starter with Houston in 1966.
He was traded to the AL's Baltimore Orioles in 1969, when he tied with Detroit's Denny McLain for the league's Cy Young Award. Cuellar had a 23-11 record with 5 shutouts and a 2.38 ERA. He led the league in victories with a 24-8 record, winning percentage with .750, and complete games with 21 in 1970.
After going 20-9, 18-12, and 18-13 over the next 3 seasons, Cuellar led the league with a .688 winning percentage on a 22-10 record in 1974. Cuellar slipped to 14-12 in 1975 and 4-13 in 1976. He retired after appearing in just 2 games with the California Angels the following season.