Mike Flanagan, Orioles’ Cy Young Winner, Found Dead at 59

Mike Flanagan, the 1979 Cy Young winner and former Baltimore Oriole who went on to become a team executive and broadcaster for the club, was found dead Wednesday outside his home in rural Maryland in an apparent suicide, according to reports by the Baltimore Sun. He was 59.

Local authorities said that they received a 911 call at 4:26 pm reporting a death in the 15000 block of York Road in Sparks. Upon their arrival, officers found Flanagan’s body on a trail that lead to a barn on his property. Reports say that the former pitcher took his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot and also indicated that the wound was to Flanagan’s face, making it initially difficult for police to confirm the identity of the body.

The impact of the Flanagan’s death was immediately visible on Wednesday night following the Orioles victory over the Minnesota Twins.

“It is with deep sadness that I learned of the death of my friend Mike Flanagan earlier this evening,” Orioles owner Peter Angelos said in a statement. “In over a quarter century with the organization, Flanny became an integral part of the Orioles family, for his accomplishments both on and off the field.

In addition to his Cy Young Award-winning season – in which he went 23-9 posting a 3.08 ERA – Flanagan was a member of the Orioles’ 1983 World Series championship team. Over the course of his 18-season career, “Flanny” posted a 167–143 record with 1491 strikeouts and a 3.90 ERA in 2770.0 innings pitched.

“We were a family,” Hall of Fame pitcher and former teammate Jim Palmer said upon receiving the tragic news. “It’s devastating.”

Source: Baltimore Sun