The Mahler Brothers - Starting Pitchers
Half of Trinity’s “Big 4” starting pitchers came from the same family, Mickey and Ricky Mahler. San Antonio natives, the Mahler brothers led Jay High School to great success before joining the Trinity staff. Upon signing the younger of the two, Ricky, Coach Houston Wheeler told the Trinitonian, “Signing a pitcher like Ricky really bolsters our pitching corps. With the two Mahler brothers we should have a solid group of hurlers for next season” (Trinitonian). Coach Wheeler was obviously very confident in Ricky even though he was only a seventeen-year-old high schooler at the time. His confidence likely stemmed from Ricky’s older brother, Mickey’s performance the prior year. Mickey posted a 2.48 ERA in his freshman year, an impressive number for any pitcher let alone one in their first season of college baseball. Both pitchers put together amazing careers at Trinity, but Mickey’s numbers truly stand out. He ranks toward the top of a plethora of statistical categories in Tiger history, like wins, ERA, strikeouts, and innings pitched. On top of this, he also threw a no-hitter in 1972 against Augustana. Mickey also holds the Trinity record for most complete games in a single season, with twelve. The brothers seemed to form a dynamic duo, often pitching in the same games or back-to-back games, propelling the Tiger’s to victories. One Trinitonian article dated March of 1973 mentioned, “Lefthander Mickey Mahler pitched the first six innings, allowing only four hits. Younger Rickey Mahler then pitched out the game” (Trinitonian). And another article mentions the brothers taking two games from Huston-Tillotson when it said, “Pitcher Mickey Mahler survived a shaky start to attain his fifth win in as many starts…In the night cap, brother Ricky Mahler held Huston-Tillotson to three hits as Trinity took the second game, 8-2” (Trinitonian). Following their careers at Trinity, both Mickey and Ricky went on to play at the highest level. Mickey was drafted in the 10th round of the 1974 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves. After three years in Atlanta, Mickey played for the Pirates, Angels, Expos, Tigers, Rangers, and Blue Jays in parts of 8 season until his retirement in 1986. Mickey was used as both a starting pitcher and a reliever in a total of 122 major league games. Ricky was also initially signed by the Braves, and he made a home in Atlanta, pitching for the Braves from 1979 until 1989, when he joined the Reds. Ricky had a few impressive years in Atlanta, accruing 44 wins from 1984 to 1986 as a starting pitcher. He finished his big-league career with 96 wins, 952 strikeouts, and an impressive sub four ERA. Ricky also achieved the ultimate goal when he won a World Series in 1990 with the Cincinnati Reds. The Mahler brothers added high level depth to Trinity's pitching corps in some of the teams most successful seasons.