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| - Mark "The Bird" Fidrych (1954-2009) was a Major League Baseball player for the Detroit Tigers from 1976-1980. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with Big Bird in the June 6, 1977 issue. In his minor league years, he was nicknamed "The Bird" by a coach, for his resemblance to Big Bird (Fidrych stood 6'3").
- The son of an assistant school principal, Fidrych played baseball at Algonquin Regional High School in Northborough, Massachusetts, and at Worcester Academy, a day and boarding school in central Massachusetts. In the 1974 amateur draft, he was not selected until the 10th round, when the Detroit Tigers picked him. In the minor leagues one of his coaches with the Lakeland Tigers dubbed the lanky 6'3" right-handed pitcher "The Bird" because of his resemblance to the "Big Bird" character of the 1970s Sesame Street television program.
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| abstract
| - Mark "The Bird" Fidrych (1954-2009) was a Major League Baseball player for the Detroit Tigers from 1976-1980. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with Big Bird in the June 6, 1977 issue. In his minor league years, he was nicknamed "The Bird" by a coach, for his resemblance to Big Bird (Fidrych stood 6'3").
- The son of an assistant school principal, Fidrych played baseball at Algonquin Regional High School in Northborough, Massachusetts, and at Worcester Academy, a day and boarding school in central Massachusetts. In the 1974 amateur draft, he was not selected until the 10th round, when the Detroit Tigers picked him. In the minor leagues one of his coaches with the Lakeland Tigers dubbed the lanky 6'3" right-handed pitcher "The Bird" because of his resemblance to the "Big Bird" character of the 1970s Sesame Street television program. Fidrych made the Tigers as a non-roster invitee out of the 1976 spring training, not making his major-league debut until April 20, and not making his first start until mid-May. He only made that start because the scheduled starting pitcher had the flu. Fidrych responded by throwing seven no-hit innings, ending the game with a 2-1 victory in which he gave up only two hits. He went on to win 19 games, led the league in ERA (2.34) and complete games (24), was the starting pitcher in that year's All-Star Game, won the American League Rookie of the Year Award, and finished second in voting for the Cy Young Award. Fidrych's 19 wins as a rookie is tied for 2nd most wins by a major league rookie subsequent to 1954, when Bob Grim won 20 games for the New York Yankees. Tom Browning of the 1985 Cincinnati Reds (managed by Pete Rose is the only rookie pitcher since Grim to reach 20 wins.
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