Okay, so I’ve been digging into this baseball player named Mike Boddicker, and let me tell you, it’s been a wild ride. I started off just wanting to know a bit more about him, you know, the usual stuff like what teams he played for and what his stats were.
First, I hit up the usual spots like the Des Moines Sunday Register Iowa Sports Hall of Fame to see what they had on him. Turns out he’s a big deal, the 163rd person inducted, pretty cool. Then I dug deeper. I found out his full name is Michael James Boddicker, born on August 23, 1957. He was a right-handed pitcher, playing for teams like the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, and Kansas City Royals.
Then I went to find out some more information. I discovered that he played 14 seasons! That’s a long career. He had 134 wins, 116 losses, and 1,330 strikeouts. Also, he got a Gold Glove award, which is awesome.
Delving into His Pitching Style
Then things got really interesting. I learned about this unique pitch he had. When he was with the Orioles, his pitching coach, Ray Miller, described it as a mix of a “dead fish” (which is apparently a changeup) and a screwball. I mean, how crazy is that?
I checked out his high school career too. Turns out he played in three American Legion World Series appearances under coach Ken Charipar, and even won two state titles for Norway High School with coach Jim Van Scoyoc, who’s actually married to Boddicker’s sister. I tried to imagine how proud his family must have been.
Checking Out Game Stats
To get a better sense of how he performed against different teams, I looked up some of his game stats, especially his matchups with the Milwaukee Brewers. It was cool to see the details of his performance against each opponent.
After all this, I felt like I really got to know Mike Boddicker, not just as a player, but a bit about his life too. It’s amazing how much you can learn when you really dive into someone’s career. He’s not just a name on a list of players; he’s got a whole story behind him.
Here’s what I gathered about Mike Boddicker:
- Full Name: Michael James Boddicker
- Born: August 23, 1957, in Cedar Rapids, IA
- Position: Right-handed Pitcher
- Teams: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers
- Career Highlights: 134 wins, 116 losses, 1,330 strikeouts, 1 Gold Glove award
- High School: Three American Legion World Series appearances, two state titles for Norway High School
It’s been a blast getting to know about Mike Boddicker’s baseball journey. I hope you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane as much as I did!
