Blue Jays May Benefit From Mike Flanagan’s Wealth of Experience

There was a time when Mike Flanagan thought he’d spend his entire career with the Baltimore Orioles.

He had succeeded Jim Palmer as the leader of a quality pitching staff. He was surrounded by people who were friends, not just teammates. He’d been on two-pennant winners and a World Series championship team. He’d won a Cy Young Award. And he’d dug up his New England roots and settled his family in Baltimore.

But in baseball, change is often inevitable. When he was traded 2 1/2 years ago it was a tossup as to who benefitted the most -- Flanagan, for escaping from a losing atmosphere; the Orioles, for unloading a hefty salary and making room for a younger player; or the Toronto Blue Jays, for bringing a quiet leader into a clubhouse noted for turmoil.

Flanagan’s numbers since arriving in Toronto have been no more spectacular than they were in his final years in Baltimore. But there is evidence that suggests the veteran left-hander’s presence has been even more important than his performance.

The Blue Jays have two young left-handers in their starting rotation: John Cerutti, who pitched five scoreless innings in Monday’s 4-2 win over the Orioles, and Jimmy Key, who will pitch the final game of the series Wednesday night.

“I’d like to think that I’ve helped them,” said Flanagan. “Just being around as long as I have is a factor.”

But it goes beyond that. “One thing he did when he came over here was open up the line of communication about pitching,” said Cerutti. “We (the pitching staff) didn’t really talk among ourselves that much about pitching.

“Dave Stieb wasn’t much of a talker, and Jimmy (Key) was receptive and approachable, but he’s quiet. Mike is the kind of guy who helped us mentally as well as physically when he came over here,” said Cerutti.

“Being from New England, I had followed Mike from his days at UMass. When he was with the Orioles in the late 1970s and early ‘80s he was a guy I emulated. I thought his style was closest to mine.

“It was a great benefit to me, and all of us, when Mike came over here. He’ll come in after an inning and explain what he was trying to do, what he was thinking on certain pitches. And we talk after games all of the time.”

Cerutti’s first start this year lasted less than an inning, a marked contrast to Monday’s performance. “He missed with a few sinkers that dropped out of the strike zone, and I guess he felt he had to throw harder,” said Flanagan.

“The pitches I threw that were hit hard were fastballs up,” said Cerutti. “I’m better when I’m keeping the ball down, and it’s something we talked about afterward.

“He talks with us all the time, and a lot of the things he says are things he picked up from Jim Palmer. He’s told us how Earl (Weaver) ran the club and how open everybody was, how much the pitchers communicated with each other. From that standpoint alone, he’s had a great impact on the team.”

Flanagan makes no attempt to hide the fact that he learned about pitching by listening to Palmer, for whom he has almost a reverent respect. He calls Palmer’s election to the Hall of Fame one of the highlights of his career. He brought a bottle of champagne to the press conference the night Palmer’s election was announced and says that if it is at all possible he will attend the induction ceremonies in Cooperstown Aug. 5.

“It’s something I really want to do,” he said. “It’s something I’ll never experience, and I’d like to see Jim go into the Hall of Fame. I might be able to get a day off, and if I do, then I’ll be there.”

In the meantime, the 38-year-old Flanagan is taking his own career one year at a time. “I’ll see where we are in September and take it from there,” he said, aware that the decision likely won’t be his. “It probably depends more on how the club does than how I do.

“If the club does good, then I’ll proably be back. If I do good and the club doesn’t, I’ll probably be the first to go.”

Flanagan’s style has changed somewhat over the years, from power to finesse. A year ago he had the lowest strikeout ratio of any American League starting pitcher, a statistic about which he was both unaware and unconcerned.

“I used to have more strikeouts, and more walks, because I went deeper into the count,” he said. “My stuff really hasn’t changed in the last five years. Now my concentration is on trying to get a guy out with one pitch.

“There are times when I feel like I can still pop the ball, but other times I know I have to change speeds more.”

Modest to a fault, Flanagan has never been overly impressed with his own accomplishments, but this is his 15th season in the big leagues. He hasn’t lasted this long just because he’s left-handed.

He has been a very noticeable leader by example for the Blue Jays, just as he was for the Orioles. He’s pitching again for a contender, a situation with which he’s always been most comfortable.

He introduced the “Kangaroo Kourt” to the Blue Jays and serves as the judge whenever it’s in session. He doesn’t go out of his way to set the pace, but neither does he make any attempt to sidestep the responsibilities that go with being a veteran.

Mike Flanagan has made changes as a pitcher, but not as a person. He just doesn’t work in his adopted home town anymore.