Mike Mayers was never a star pitcher. In 80.2 innings with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2016 to 2019, he coughed up an awful 7.03 ERA. But Mayers’ eventual successes are a heartwarming tale for those who recall the unlucky beginning to his career.
Former Cardinals pitcher Mike Mayers announced on Instagram that he has retired from baseball at the age of 33
There are certain movie scenes that are just hard to watch. Scenes from movies like “Saving Private Ryan,” “The Mist,” and “The Green Mile” are mentioned in this article as ones that make some viewers turn away from the TV. The baseball version of this would likely include being forced to witness your team’s pitcher getting pummeled for numerous runs early on. Cardinals fans witnessed this develop in an exceptionally brutal fashion on July 24, 2016, when Mayers mounted the hill at Busch Stadium against the Los Angeles Dodgers to make his major league debut.
In addition to being the Mayers’ first major league appearance, the game was being televised nationally on ESPN for Sunday Night Baseball, thus the pressure was evident. Mayers went on to provide what may have been the worst opening pitching effort in baseball history.
Mayers let the first three hitters reach base as his loved ones were in the stadium, and Adrian Gonzalez quickly unloaded the bags with a grand slam. Mayers would go on to give up five more earned runs, and that was just the warmup. In 1.1 innings pitched, he had eight hits, nine earned runs, two walks, and one strikeout.
Mayers’ lifetime ERA with the birds on the bat hinted of a limited stint in the major leagues, and few would have faulted the Cardinals if they had never permitted him to throw in the major leagues again. Nevertheless, Mayers persevered, and after the 2019 season, the Los Angeles Angels selected him off waivers and he became a reliable member of their bullpen.
Mayers had a 3.34 total ERA in 105 innings during his greatest seasons in 2020 and 2021. With an ERA+ of 135, he was classified as a relief pitcher who was much above average. He struggled to a 5.84 ERA in his following two seasons, which were divided between the Angels and the Kansas City Royals. He finished his last season with the Toronto Blue Jays’ Triple-A team, the Buffalo Bisons.
Although Mayers’ career reversal did not occur in St. Louis, it should comfort Cardinals fans who saw that pivotal game. He might have easily burned out of the major leagues after his debut with nothing but awful memories of a start gone tragically wrong. Mayers chose to go on a voyage that he said created lifelong connections and once-in-a-lifetime memories rather than reflecting on what may have been.
