John Hiller set a major league record by starting a game with six consecutive strikeouts in 1968.
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48 Facts About John Hiller
2.
In January 1971, Hiller suffered a heart attack and underwent intestinal surgery to control his body's absorption of cholesterol.
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3.
In 1974, John Hiller set an AL record with 17 relief wins and was selected as a member of the All-Star team.
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4.
John Hiller continued to rank among the AL's elite relief pitchers through the 1978 season.
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5.
John Hiller continues to hold the Tigers' club record with 545 career games pitched.
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6.
John Hiller returned to professional baseball in the mid-1980s as a minor league pitching coach for the Tigers.
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8.
John Hiller grew up in Scarborough, the son of an auto body repairman.
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9.
John Hiller was a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs while growing up and played ice hockey as a goaltender.
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10.
John Hiller attended David-Mary Thomson Public School and West Hill Collegiate Institute, but dropped out after the 11th grade.
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11.
John Hiller competed as a sprinter in the 220- and 440-yard dashes while in high school.
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12.
John Hiller excelled in baseball as a pitcher, and reportedly once struck out 22 batters in a seven-inning game, including one batter who got on base due to a wild pitch.
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13.
Detroit scout Edwin "Cy" Williams discovered John Hiller playing for the Scarborough Selects, an All-Star team composed of local sandlot players.
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14.
John Hiller played for the Tigers' Jamestown, New York, club in the New York-Pennsylvania League during the 1963 season.
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15.
John Hiller spent most of the 1964 season with the Duluth-Superior Dukes of the Northern League.
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16.
In 1965, John Hiller was assigned to the Montgomery Rebels in the Southern League where he was converted to a relief pitcher.
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17.
John Hiller made five relief appearances for the 1965 Tigers and did not allow a run in six innings pitched.
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18.
John Hiller began the 1966 season with the Tigers, but appeared in only one game, pitching two innings in relief against Washington on April 17, giving up two hits and two earned runs.
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20.
Farm director Don Lund noted at the time that John Hiller had recently mastered his control on breaking pitches to balance his excellent fastball.
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21.
John Hiller spent his first full season in the majors as a reliever and spot starter for the 1968 Tigers team that won the American League pennant and the 1968 World Series.
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22.
John Hiller appeared in 40 games for the 1969 Tigers, but his ERA increased by more than a point-and-a-half to 3.
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23.
John Hiller was placed on a strict diet, quit smoking cigarettes, and lost 20 pounds in the month after his heart attack.
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24.
John Hiller returned to the mound the next day, having had no rehab games in the minors and after not facing a batter in 18 months.
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25.
John Hiller pitched in three games in the 1972 American League Championship Series against the Oakland Athletics, winning Game 4 when Detroit scored three times in the bottom of the 10th inning.
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26.
John Hiller's comeback peaked in 1973 with what baseball historian Bill James rated as the most valuable season by a relief pitcher in baseball history.
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27.
John Hiller broke Clay Carroll's Major League Baseball record with 38 saves.
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28.
John Hiller's single-season saves record stood for 10 years until Dan Quisenberry tallied 45 saves in 1983, and remained a Tigers team record until broken by Todd Jones in 2000.
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29.
John Hiller led the American League's pitchers with 65 appearances and 60 games finished.
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30.
John Hiller tied for fourth in the voting for the American League Most Valuable Player Award, behind Reggie Jackson and Rod Carew.
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31.
In 1974, John Hiller had another strong season as he broke the American League record with 17 relief wins.
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32.
John Hiller won his 10th game of the season on July 1 and was on pace to break Roy Face's major league record of 18 relief wins set in 1959.
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33.
John Hiller opened the season without allowing a run in his first five appearances totaling over 14 innings.
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34.
In 1976, John Hiller returned to the Tigers' spring training with a shaved head.
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35.
John Hiller ranked fourth in the American League in games finished and ninth in both adjusted pitching runs and adjusted pitching wins.
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36.
John Hiller closed the 1976 season with a rare start and threw a four-hit, complete-game shutout against the Milwaukee Brewers.
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37.
John Hiller started eight games and threw three complete games.
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38.
John Hiller appeared in 51 games, all in relief, and his total of 46 games finished ranked sixth in the American League.
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39.
In 1979, John Hiller had 43 relief appearances, but Aurelio Lopez took over as the Tigers' closer as John Hiller's ERA soared to 5.
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40.
John Hiller played with pain in his left shoulder during the 1979 season, and his season ended on August 27 when he was placed on the disabled list.
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41.
John Hiller returned to the Tigers briefly in 1980, just long enough to break Hooks Dauss' franchise record of 538 games pitched.
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42.
John Hiller was the last member of Detroit's 1968 World Series championship team to remain with the club.
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43.
On May 30,1980, after finishing a clubhouse card game with teammates, John Hiller called a team meeting and announced that he was retiring.
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44.
John Hiller stepped out of the dugout in street clothes and waved to the crowd.
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45.
John Hiller later lived for more than 30 years in Hermansville and then Iron Mountain, both in the Upper Peninsula.
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46.
John Hiller supported himself with jobs selling insurance, owning a pet shop, operating a country store, and working as a Pepsi distributor.
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47.
John Hiller's coaching career ended when he was diagnosed in 1988 with a blockage behind his right knee that had caused the arteries in his lower leg to deteriorate.
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