Books and articles about Mike Garcia

Garcia was part of the great Indian pitching staff that included Bob Feller, Early Wynn, and Bob Lemon. Signed in 1942, The Big Bear spent three years in the military. He went 14-5 in his rookie year (1949). The hard-throwing Californian of Mexican-Indian descent posted his second straight 20-win season in 1952, leading the AL in starts and hits allowed, and tying for most shutouts (6). He again tied for the shutout lead (5) with an AL best 2.64 ERA in 1954 and was 19-8 as Cleveland set an AL record with 111 wins and ended the Yankees' pennant string at five. Garcia lost Game Three of the World Series in which Giants routed the Indians in four straight.

RELATED LINKS Greatest Teams » 1954 Indians Submissions » The Top 100 Greatest Indians

The championship season was Garcia's last good campaign. After three subpar years, he hurt his back in 1958. Cut and resigned, he won three final games in 1959. He left among the Indians' top ten all-time in wins, losses, games pitched, shutouts, winning percentage, and strikeouts. (ME)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » June 18, 1950: After Bob Feller blanks the A's, 7–0, on a 2-hitter, the Indians set a modern record by scoring 14 runs in the opening frame of the 2nd game. The output ties the most runs in any inning and is the most in the first inning. Except for pitcher Mike Garcia , all the Indians bat twice enroute to a 21–2 trouncing. Hegan piles on with a grand slam in the 3rd inning, off Carl Scheib. » September 22, 1950: In the top of the 9th in Cleveland, Detroit's Don Kolloway cracks a 2-run HR off Bob Feller to tie the game at 3–3. In the bottom of the inning, Joe Gordon takes Hal Newhouser downtown to hand the Tigers a heartbreaking 4–3 loss. The loss pushes the Bengals back into 2nd place. Feller now stands 8–2 against the Tiger ace stretching back to 1940. The two will face off once more in a no-decision contest in 1952. In the nitecap, Mike Garcia drops the Bengals another game back with an 10–2 victory, while New York is shutting out the Red Sox, 8–0. Cleveland is the only team that holds a winning edge over Detroit this year (13–9). » September 23, 1950: Mike Garcia and the Indians hand the Tigers a 10–2 defeat to leave Detroit in second place at the end of the day. » August 16, 1951: The Browns end the Indians win streak at 13 when Tommy Byrne pitches and bats St. Louis to a 4–0 win. Byrne allows two hits in seven innings and drives in all the runs before retiring with back spasms. Mike Garcia loses to drop the Indians lead to one 1/2 games over the Yankees. » August 25, 1951: Before 66,110 at Cleveland, Mickey Mantle belts an opposite field 2-run homer off Mike Garcia to help the Yankees win, 7–3. New York (77-46) moves to a game in back of the Tribe. » September 9, 1951: The Indians use three 9th-inning bunts to edge the Browns, 4–3. Hegan leads off with a bunt that rolls foul, but then drives a single past the pulled-in 3B Jack Maguire. Two more bunts and a sac fly give Mike Garcia his 19th win. Reliever Satchel Paige takes the loss. » September 18, 1951: Cleveland beats Boston, 6–4, as Mike Garcia wins his 20th. With the Yanks losing to Billy Pierce and Chicago, 7–1, the Indians and Yankees are tied for first place. This is the 10th time the two teams have been in a tie for first place, surpassing the major-league record of nine set in the National League race of 1889 and the Fed League race of 1914. » July 13, 1952: Before 26,770 fans, Mike Garcia of the Indians blanks Washington 1-0 on two hits in the first game of a doubleheader. » July 4, 1954: Indians Mike Garcia, Ray Narleski, and Early Wynn, in a rare relief role, shut down the White Sox 2-1, only allowing Minnie Minoso's ninth-inning single. » October 1, 1954: Dusty Rhodes gets his 3rd pinch hit of the WS, driving in 2 runs in the 3rd. He is hitting for OF Monte Irvin, who ironically had 11 hits in the 1951 Series. The Giants' Ruben Gomez easily bests Indians P Mike Garcia 6-2. » May 3, 1955: Mickey Mantle's homer in the 6th off Mike Garcia gives New York a 4–3 lead, but Cleveland wins it 5–4 at home. Garcia last year allowed just six homers in 258 innings, the best mark of the 1950s. » September 18, 1956: Cleveland sweeps a doubleheader from Washington behind Herb Score and Mike Garcia, 1-0 and 6­0.