Mike Williams

Who is Mike Williams?

Michael Darren "Mike" Williams is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher who had a 12-year career with the Philadelphia Phillies, Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros and the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1992 to 2003.

Williams was a two-time National League All-Star in 2002 and 2003. In 2002, he finished third in the N.L. with 46 saves. In his career, he posted a record of 32-54 with 144 saves and a 4.45 ERA. When he was selected to the 2003 All-Star game, he set the record for being the pitcher with the highest ERA while making an All-Star team. He still remains the only pitcher to play in an All-Star game while having an ERA of over 6.00 during the same regular season.

One of Williams's most famous games was with the Phillies on July 7, 1993 versus the Los Angeles Dodgers, in which he was brought in as a reliever in the 14th inning, pitched five shut-out innings, gave up a single run in the top of the 20th inning, but subsequently won the game after the Phillies loaded the bases in the bottom of the 20th and Lenny Dykstra hit a double.

On September 24, 1996, Williams threw a pitch behind opposing pitcher Pedro Martinez of the Montreal Expos, which led to Martinez charging after Williams and starting a bench-clearing brawl.