finalyear bats death_date death_place birth_place debutyear finaldate statvalue position finalteam statlabel debutdate birth_date article_title debutteam name throws
1991 right 2 march 2005 jupiter , florida austin , texas 1979 august 6 96 -- 111 3.99 952 pitcher atlanta braves win -- loss record earned run average strikeouts april 20 5 august 1953 rick mahler
 atlanta braves rick mahler right
rick mahler

richard keith mahler -lrb- august 5 , 1953 in austin , texas -- march 2 , 2005 in jupiter , florida -rrb- was a starting pitcher in major league baseball who played for the atlanta braves -lrb- 1979 -- 1988 , 1991 -rrb- , cincinnati reds -lrb- 1989 -- 1990 -rrb- and montreal expos -lrb- 1991 -rrb- .
his brother mickey was also a major league pitcher , with the two being teammates in 1979 .
the two had previously been teammates playing for the triple-a richmond braves .
in his 13-year career , mahler posted a 96 -- 111 record with 952 strikeouts and a 3.99 era in 1951.1 innings .
born in austin , texas , mahler graduated from john jay high school and then attended trinity university , both in san antonio , texas .
after being signed by the braves as an amateur free agent in 1975 , he made his debut in the 1979 season .
mahler started on opening day for the braves in 1982 , when atlanta won the national league west title .
he made four straight opening day starts beginning in 1985 .
in 1987 , he tied an nl record with his third opening day shutout .
his best season came in 1985 , when he went 17-15 with a 3.48 era .
he pitched twice in the postseason , with the braves in 1982 , and with the 1990 world series champion cincinnati reds .
mahler was a key member of that reds ' pitching staff as a spot starter and reliever , going 7 -- 6 and contributing four saves .
he also appeared in ten games with the montreal expos in 1991 before returning to atlanta in mid-season .
after retiring , mahler served as a minor league pitching coach for the kansas city royals and the florida marlins , and he was a roving instructor for the st. louis cardinals .
he also managed st. louis ' double-a affiliate in the texas league from 1996 to 1997 .
mahler died at age 51 of a heart attack at home in jupiter , florida , where he was preparing for his second season as a minor league pitching coach for the new york mets .
he was survived by his wife , sheryl , and five children ricky , robby , timothy , tyler and shannon .
