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On May 15, 1976, Fidrych got his first start against the Cleveland Indians, pitching six scoreless innings, giving up a single in the seventh...and talking to himself or the baseball, arranging the mound every innning with his hands, and strutting about the infield after every strikeout. The Tigers won that game, 2-1, but the growing talk of Detroit was Fidrych and his personality. Between May 25 and June 5, Fidriych played - and won - against the [[Boston Red Sox]], [[Milwaukee Brewers]], and [[Texas Rangers]]. of which the last two were complete games pitched 11 innings.
On May 15, 1976, Fidrych got his first start against the Cleveland Indians, pitching six scoreless innings, giving up a single in the seventh...and talking to himself or the baseball, arranging the mound every innning with his hands, and strutting about the infield after every strikeout. The Tigers won that game, 2-1, but the growing talk of Detroit was Fidrych and his personality. Between May 25 and June 5, Fidriych played - and won - against the [[Boston Red Sox]], [[Milwaukee Brewers]], and [[Texas Rangers]]. of which the last two were complete games pitched 11 innings.
From June 11 to 24, the Tigers started Fidrych against the Rangers - where he bested opposing pitcher [[Nolan Ryan]] - the [[Kansas City Royals]], the [[Minnesota Twins]], and the Red Sox, where the Bird posted another complete game. Already, "Bird-mania" had taken hold, with fans filling the stadiums to see the guy who "manicured the mound" and talked to the baseball; he would also curse the baseball - as if the baseball itself made a wrong decision - every time a batter got a base hit or a home run. He would aim the baseball like a dart. And he sometimes interrupted the umpire to toss an errant baseball to him, with the excuse "That ball had a hit in it, so I want to get it back in the ball bag and goof around with the other balls there. Maybe it'll learn some sense and come out as a popup next time." [http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=caple/090414&sportCat=mlb] But his own professional start was phenominal; the Tigers manager at the time was Ralph Houk, who couldn't believe what he was seeing. "In all my years in baseball, I've never seen anything like it. I don't think even Walter Johnson started this fast." [http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/sports2000/players/170315.html]
From June 11 to 24, the Tigers started Fidrych against the Rangers - where he bested opposing pitcher [[Nolan Ryan]] - the [[Kansas City Royals]], the [[Minnesota Twins]], and the Red Sox, where the Bird posted another complete game. Already, "Bird-mania" had taken hold, with fans filling the stadiums to see the guy who "manicured the mound" and talked to the baseball; he would also curse the baseball - as if the baseball itself made a wrong decision - every time a batter got a base hit or a home run. He would aim the baseball like a dart. He would stop a game and have the fans laugh as he went after the bubble gum wrapper that blew across the diamond. And he sometimes interrupted the umpire to toss an errant baseball to him, with the excuse "That ball had a hit in it, so I want to get it back in the ball bag and goof around with the other balls there. Maybe it'll learn some sense and come out as a popup next time." [http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=caple/090414&sportCat=mlb] But his own professional start was phenominal; the Tigers manager at the time was Ralph Houk, who couldn't believe what he was seeing. "In all my years in baseball, I've never seen anything like it. I don't think even Walter Johnson started this fast." [http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/sports2000/players/170315.html]
[[File:Fidrych manicure.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Fidrych "manicuring the mound"]]
[[File:Fidrych manicure.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Fidrych "manicuring the mound"]]
[[File:Fidrychautographs.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Fidrych, here signing autographs in Anaheim, had legions of fans everywhere he went. ''"There's an electricity he brings out in everybody. Everyone can see the enthusiasm in Mark. He brings out the exuberance and youth in everybody,"'' said fellow Tiger Rusty Staub [http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/sports2000/players/170315.html]]]
[[File:Fidrychautographs.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Fidrych, here signing autographs in Anaheim, had legions of fans everywhere he went. ''"There's an electricity he brings out in everybody. Everyone can see the enthusiasm in Mark. He brings out the exuberance and youth in everybody,"'' said fellow Tiger Rusty Staub [http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/sports2000/players/170315.html]]]
Players, reporters, critics referred to him as a "flake". "He's not as flaky as they say," said manager Ralph Houk. "When he's on the mound, he doesn't know there's anyone else around. He talks to himself to help his concentration. And as a rule, we play good in the field behind him. Players like to play behind a guy who throws strikes." And during 1976, it was other teams that called the Tigers' front desk, asking the organization to rearrange the schedule so that the Bird would play before ''their'' fans whenever the Tigers came to ''their'' towns. [http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=5]
Players, reporters, critics referred to him as a "flake". "He's not as flaky as they say," said manager Ralph Houk. "When he's on the mound, he doesn't know there's anyone else around. He talks to himself to help his concentration. And as a rule, we play good in the field behind him. Players like to play behind a guy who throws strikes." And during 1976, it was other teams that called the Tigers' front desk, asking the organization to rearrange the schedule so that the Bird would play before ''their'' fans whenever the Tigers came to ''their'' towns. [http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=5]
And his antics never stopped with the end of the game. His teammates would gat a laugh or two as they watched him looking for the forgotten dime in the catchboxes of every pay phone they walked by. If he was rejected by the bouncer at the bar for no I.D., he would grab the others' I.D.s and use them - it didn't matter a bit whether or not he looked like them. Or he would spit tobacco juice on his shirt; "I wanted the guys to know I chewed," he said [http://apps.detnews.com/apps/history/index.php?id=5]. He wore jeans instead of suits, wore-out sneakers and T-shirts; he didn't worry about the dishes in his kitchen piling up, as he had only four of them.
During the remainder of July, the Tigers won four of five games in which Fidrych started, including a memorable one in Minneapolis on the 20th in which the Twins released 13 pigeons in "honor" of the Bird's 13th start, in which Fidrych and the Tigers thought was meant to blow his concentration. The Tigers won that game anyway, 8-3.
During the remainder of July, the Tigers won four of five games in which Fidrych started, including a memorable one in Minneapolis on the 20th in which the Twins released 13 pigeons in "honor" of the Bird's 13th start, in which Fidrych and the Tigers thought was meant to blow his concentration. The Tigers won that game anyway, 8-3.