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General | Professional | 4/14/2009

Kimm Has Fond Memories of Fidrych

Jim Ecker

By Jim Ecker
Tuesday, April 14, 2009

A lot of people remember Mark “The Bird” Fidrych as a flake, a curly-haired free spirit who would talk to the baseball when he was pitching, smooth dirt on the mound with his hands, hop over baselines and high-five fans. But Bruce Kimm, his personal catcher on the Detroit Tigers in 1976, remembers Fidrych for something other than the antics.

“He was the best pitcher in baseball in 1976. By far,” Kimm said Tuesday.

Fidrych, 54, died in an apparent accident at his farm in Northborough, Mass., on Monday, pinned beneath his dump truck. Kimm heard the news shortly after.

“I’m not feeling too good about it,” he said, somberly.

Fidrych was nicknamed “The Bird” because of his uncanny resemblance to “Big Bird,” the Sesame Street character of TV fame. Kimm was his catcher in Triple-A in 1975, and both men arrived in Detroit as young rookies in 1976. Fidrych quickly became a national phenomenon, a huge box-office attraction and a marvel on the mound, with his unusual antics and pinpoint control. Kimm said there was a playoff atmosphere every time Fidrych pitched, with big crowds.

They came to see “The Bird” and knew they’d get a show. “He treated the fans great,” said Kimm.

The Tigers gave Fidrych his first start early in the year and put Kimm behind the plate, figuring he knew how to catch the unusual young man, even though veteran Bill Freehan was the No.1 backstop on the club that year. It was the start of a beautiful relationship.

“So I caught him, against Cleveland, and he had a perfect game for 7 1/3 innings,” Kimm recalled. “So we just stuck with it.”

Fidrych compiled a 19-9 record with a 2.34 ERA in 29 games that season, with an amazing 24 complete games. Kimm caught them all, the highlight of his major league career. Kimm appeared in only 63 games that season, but was behind the plate every time Fidrych got the ball. They formed a terrific team, the flaky pitcher from Massachusetts and the conservative catcher from Iowa. Kimm said he loved catching "The Bird."

“If he had a lead late in the game, he could smell it,” said Kimm. “He wasn’t looking for any bullpen help.”

Kimm and Fidrych formed an odd couple in some people’s eyes, but not on the baseball field. They didn’t socialize much away from the game – Kimm was married, Fidrych was not – but Kimm said they got along very well at the park.

“He was a great teammate. Everybody liked him.”

Kimm said he wasn’t bothered by Fidrych’s antics on the mound. The results were what mattered, not the sideshow.

“It was all natural,” said Kimm. “I didn’t think anything of it. He did the same stuff in Triple-A. It all seemed natural to him. He wasn’t a flake in the baseball world. As soon as he started throwing the ball, there was no messing around."

Fidrych was the toast of baseball in 1976, with his unusual behavior (for baseball) and his great success on the mound. He threw 250 1/3 innings, high by today’s standards, and walked only 53 batters all season.

“It was just phenomenal where he could throw the ball,” said Kimm. “His control was great.”

Kimm said Fidrych threw a 93 mph fastball that acted like a running sinker, and also threw a nasty slider. He gave batters fits.

Kimm hit the only home run of his major league career that season as the catcher for one of Fidrych's games, a solo shot against Frank Tanana and the California Angels that snapped a 2-2 tie and gave Fidrych a 3-2 victory. “Yup, that was a big one,” he said.

Fidrych was named the American League Rookie of the Year in 1976 and pitched in the All-Star game that season. Unfortunately, he was struck by arm and knee problems after his rookie season and never regained the form that made him a national treasure. He had a 6-4 record in 1977, went 2-0 in 1978, 0-3 in 1979 and 2-3 in 1980, his final year in the big leagues. He attempted several comebacks, but never reached the majors again.

By coincidence, Kimm’s big league playing career also ended after the 1980 season, after he caught 100 games for the Chicago White Sox, but he spent 11 years as a coach in the major leagues and served as the Chicago Cubs' interim manager in 2002.

Kimm, now retired from baseball, fielded more than a dozen media requests Monday and Tuesday to talk about Fidrych and to relive that magical season. The more he talked, the sadder he got. “It’s sinking in more and more,” he said.

PERFECTGAME.TV

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