Scott, "Mike" (Michael W.)
Baseball
b. April 26, 1955, Santa Monica, CA
A right-handed pitcher, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Scott joined the New York Mets in 1979 and was traded to the Houston Astros in 1983. He was an ordinary journeyman until he learned to throw the split-fingered fastball during 1985 spring training.
That pitch, which looks like an ordinary fastball but breaks sharply down just as it reaches the plate, transformed Scott into an overpowering pitcher. He had an 18-8 record with a 3.29 ERA in 1985 and won the league's Cy Young Award in 1986. He had an 18-10 record and led the NL with 5 shutouts, 306 strikeouts in 275 1/3 innings, and a 2.22 ERA.
The Astros faced the New York Mets in the 1986 league championship series. Scott had a 2-0 record, giving up just 1 earned run and striking out 19 in 18 innings, but the Mets beat Houston in six games.
Scott went 16-13 in 1987 and 14-9 in 1988, then led the league in victories with a 20-10 record in 1989. Arm trouble began to bother him in 1990, when he was only 9-13, and he retired after losing his only two starts in 1991.
In 13 seasons, he had a 124-108 record, with 22 shutouts and a 3.54 ERA. He struck out 1,469 hitters and walked 627 in 2,068 2/3 innings.