Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page B10

the climb Mark took the mound against the Orioles on July 4. A crowd of 45,339 showed up to watch his first career appearance in Baltimore. The Tigers took an early 2-0 lead, and Mark allow a runner as far as second base until the fourth inning. The Orioles still had not scored when Mark warmed up before the sixth inning as Fleetwood played on the public address system. Mark did not know it, but his baseball dream was about to turn into a nightmare.

After two quick ground-ball outs, Ken Singleton fought off a 2-2 pitch and fisted it into leftfield for a single. Rookie Eddie Murray hom- ered on the next pitch. Lee May then doubled to the leftfield fence. After an intentional walk, Rick Dempsey lined a single to the outfield. Mark Belanger blooped a double just fair down the rightfield line.

Al Bumbry grounded a single up the middle for the sixth straight hit (not counting the walk), and Mark was finally relieved. He got a standing ovation as he walked off the mound and tipped his cap to the fans; however, nearing the dugout, frustration took over and he fired his glove into the dugout, which turned some of the cheers to boos. was watching him pitch that game against the says Dave Rozema, another Tigers pitcher. threw a pitch, and I thought, really looked His motion was different. And the velocity of the pitch was way off.

I said, something I saw it happen. The next pitches were all hit hard. I think it had anything to do with his knee. I think his knee was of a sudden, he get anybody says catcher Bruce Kimm. When (manager) Ralph Houk came out to the mound to relieve him, Mark said, feel fine, but the ball went Ralph answered, it seems like throwing In his next start, July 8, Mark lost to the White Sox, 10-7, giving up six runs in less than six innings.

Kimm noted that Mark was a much different pitcher. was the first game his stuff just look very he said. really have anything on the ball. I could tell something was wrong. In the clubhouse after the game, he said, my arm is killing And I told him he should say something.

He was just the kind of guy who want to complain and was trying to work through Four days later, Mark started and pitched to four batters against Toronto in Detroit, then signaled that he was having arm trouble. Houk immediately pulled him out. Houk said after the game that there was slight muscle pull on the side of the right shoulder in a place not usually too threw three or four pitches that Mark told reporters. were all fastballs. I throw any He noted that he had been throwing well in warm- ups.

He added: not worried like with the knee Newsmen on the charter plane reported that he did not seem to be exuberant as but appear downhearted either. It was announced that he would not be available for the All- Star Game now. He would need to rest the arm over the All-Star break so that he could come back strong for the second half of the season. Mark rested, but his arm get any better. A week later, he was examined at Henry Ford Hospital and diagnosed with tendinitis in the shoulder.

A little bit more rest and it should be fine, he was told. But it fine after a little bit more rest. On July 24, he was placed on the 21-day disabled list. Mark had tried lobbing a half-dozen balls to test his arm, but it still hurt. hurt is still there, what more can I he told reporters.

pain, same location, same everything. It hurt every time I threw, and I was just tossing the ball It was noted that he would be eligible to pitch again Aug. 10. The season was slipping away. So began a long odyssey.

The cause of arm injury has been debated over the years. Was it due to the excessive load he pitched as a rookie in 1976? Did he try to come back too soon from his knee surgery before his arm had time to get in shape? Was there really a cause, or did it just happen? all conjecture. thought his mechanics were different after he came back in said pitcher Bob Sykes, who had watched him since rookie ball in 1974. his normal pattern. not saying he came back too soon, but it just changed his mechanics, and that led to the think he tried to come back too soon from the said reliever John Hiller.

have time to get his arm in shape SEE NEXT PAGE LAST OF TWO EXCLUSIVE EXCERPTS he Red Sox game lowered Mark ERA to 1.83 and improved his record to 6-2. He was dominating hitters even more than in 1976. Despite the late start to the 1977 season because of knee surgery he was hurt shagging flies during spring training he was named to the All-Star squad for the second consecutive year. Life was grand. Full-house stadiums were cheering madly for him.

He was pitching great. It was just like last year, or even better. Then, suddenly, it Leyland comforted Fidrych after injury, helped him regain form COVER STORY WHEN 'BIRD' WAS THE WORD TODAY Despite an arm dead for years, Fidrych has a final hurrah, in no small part because of an obscure manager named Jim Leyland. SUNDAY Mark Fidrych, already a folk hero in Detroit, becomes a national sensation when he stymies the Yankees on Night ONLY IN THE FREE PRESS AT FREEP.COM The Free Press and freep.com have two exclusive excerpts from Bird: The Life and Legacy of Mark by Doug Wilson (Thomas Dunne Books, 320 pages, coming out Tuesday. FREE PRESS FILE PHOTOS Mark Fidrych makes a curtain call at Tiger Stadium after beating Chicago on Sept.

2, 1980 his first victory since April 1978. At right is Jim Leyland (arm raised) and his parents, who received the game ball. back to glory 10B WWW.FREEP.COM MONDAY,.