Mike Bielecki is a former professional baseball player who played as a pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for over a decade. He was born on July 31, 1959, in Baltimore, Maryland, and attended Loyola University Maryland, where he played college baseball.
Bielecki was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the sixth round of the 1979 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut with the Pirates in 1984 and played for them until 1987. During his time with the Pirates, Bielecki was primarily used as a relief pitcher and had a 3.97 earned run average (ERA) in 142 games.
In 1988, Bielecki was traded to the Chicago Cubs, where he had the best years of his career. He was used primarily as a starting pitcher and had a 3.55 ERA in 138 games over five seasons with the Cubs. In 1989, Bielecki had a career-best season, going 18-7 with a 3.14 ERA and finishing fifth in the National League Cy Young Award voting.
After leaving the Cubs in 1992, Bielecki played for several other teams, including the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, and Milwaukee Brewers. He continued to be used primarily as a starting pitcher and had a 4.18 ERA in 276 games over the remainder of his career.
Bielecki retired from baseball after the 1997 season with a career record of 94-84 and a 4.18 ERA in 356 games. He also had 11 complete games, five shutouts, and 1,011 strikeouts in 1,576 innings pitched.
After retiring from baseball, Bielecki worked as a pitching coach for several minor league teams and was the pitching coach for the Baltimore Orioles from 2006 to 2007. He also worked as a broadcaster for the Cubs and as a scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
In summary, Mike Bielecki was a successful MLB pitcher who played for over a decade and had his best years with the Chicago Cubs. He had a career record of 94-84 and a 4.18 ERA in 356 games and continued to work in baseball after retiring as a coach and scout.
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