Mike Marshall led the majors in appearances in 1973, with 92 for the Montreal Expos. The next spring, having joined the Los Angeles Dodgers, Marshall met his new manager, Walter Alston.
“He said, ‘If you’re ever tired, you let me know; otherwise, I’ll use you,’” Marshall said in an interview last summer. “I said, ‘I’ll tell you right now: I will never tell you that I’m tired.’”
That season Marshall worked in a record 106 games. No pitcher has come within 12 of that number ever since, but we just might witness history at Citi Field this season: Jerry Blevins, the veteran Mets left-hander, is on pace to make 96 appearances after Wednesday’s dreary 6-5 loss to San Diego.