Mike Maroth

Lore & Background

Maroth never played for the Oakland Athletics. He played for the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, and Minnesota Twins. His MLB debut was in 2002. In 1999, he was in the Boston Red Sox minor-league system, pitching for Single-A Sarasota.

In Their Own Story

The June evening air at the Coliseum carried the smell of asphalt and concession-stand grease. Maroth stood on the mound, the concrete of the pitcher's rubber cool under his cleats, and stared into the empty third-base dugout where the opposing manager sat with his arms crossed. The crowd was a low murmur, the kind that made you hear your own breathing between pitches. He gripped the ball, felt the seams bite into his fingers, and wound up. The fastball left his hand at the top of the arc, a white blur against the floodlights, and the batter's swing came through the air a half-beat late. Strike one. He looked down at the dirt, wiped his glove on his pants, and started the windup again. The Coliseum hummed. The night was young, and the A's were still in the game.

Reader's Guide

Maroth was not an overpowering pitcher, averaging under 85 miles per hour (MPH) on his fastball. He also threw an 82 MPH cutter. His offspeed pitches were a slider, curveball, and changeup.

Did You Know?

• Maroth lost 21 games in 2003, the first pitcher to lose 20 or more games in a season since Brian Kingman lost 20 for the Oakland Athletics in 1980.
• He remains the most recent pitcher to lose 20 or more games in a season as of 2025.
• Maroth pitched a one-hit complete game shutout against the New York Yankees in July 2004.