Mike Roarke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mike Roarke |
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Roarke as the Cardinals' pitching coach, 1988
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| Catcher | |||
| Born: November 8, 1930 West Warwick, Rhode Island |
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| Died: July 27, 2019 (aged 88) West Warwick, Rhode Island |
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| debut | |||
| April 19, 1961, for the Detroit Tigers | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| October 3, 1964, for the Detroit Tigers | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .230 | ||
| At bats | 491 | ||
| Hits | 113 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Michael Thomas Roarke (born November 8, 1930 – died July 27, 2019) was an American catcher and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB). During his time as a player, he threw and batted with his right hand. He was about 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) tall and weighed around 195 pounds (88 kg).
Roarke was born in West Warwick, Rhode Island. He finished high school there in 1948. He then went to Boston College and earned a degree in history. At college, he was the captain of both the baseball and football teams. In 1951, he won an award for being great at school, leading others, and playing sports.
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Starting His Baseball Journey
After college, Mike Roarke signed with the Boston Braves baseball team in 1952. This was the same team his college friend, Joe Morgan, also joined. Roarke played for a short time with a Braves' minor league team in Evansville. After this, he joined the military, which meant he didn't play professional baseball again until 1954.
Mike Roarke was known for being a very good defensive catcher. He was also good at working with pitchers. However, hitting the ball was harder for him. In his seven years in the minor leagues, his batting average was above .250 only three times. The Braves team, which had moved to Milwaukee in 1953, already had a top catcher named Del Crandall. Because of this, Roarke never got to play for the Braves in the Major Leagues.
Playing for the Detroit Tigers
After the 1959 baseball season, Roarke was traded to the Detroit Tigers. He played one more year in the minor leagues in 1960. Finally, on April 19, 1961, at age 30, he made his Major League debut with the Tigers.
He played for the Tigers for four seasons, from 1961 to 1964. During this time, he was the team's second-string catcher. He played behind other catchers like Dick Brown and Bill Freehan. In 194 games, Roarke had a batting average of .230. He hit six home runs and had 44 runs batted in.
Becoming a Baseball Coach
Mike Roarke stopped playing baseball on October 9, 1964. He then became a bullpen coach for the Detroit Tigers from 1965 to 1966. After that, he coached for the California Angels from 1967 to 1969.
Later, Roarke became a pitching coach. This is a special role where former catchers often do very well. He returned to the Tigers in 1970 as their pitching coach for one season.
After coaching for the Tigers, he spent seven years (1971–1977) managing minor league teams. He also traveled around, teaching pitching to minor league players. Then, he became a pitching coach for several MLB teams. These included the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, and Boston Red Sox.
While with the St. Louis Cardinals, he helped the team win two National League championships in 1985 and 1987. He retired from coaching after the 1994 season. He also spent three seasons (1981–1983) coaching in his home state of Rhode Island. He was the pitching coach for the Pawtucket Red Sox in the minor leagues. There, he worked with his old college friend, Joe Morgan.
Mike Roarke passed away on July 27, 2019, in West Warwick, Rhode Island.
See also
- List of St. Louis Cardinals coaches
