Michael August Timlin is a former MLB relief pitcher. Timlin played on four World Series championship teams during his 18-year career.
Timlin was known for his 93 mph fastball. Timlin assisted on the final out of 1992 World Series in Game 6 and also recorded a save for the game. During the 2003 postseason, Timlin did not allow a run.
In 2004, Timlin made 76 pitching appearances, the third-most in Red Sox history and tied for fourth in American League history. On September 3, he made his 800th major league appearance, becoming only the 29th pitcher in major league history to reach that mark. Timlin made his 1,000th career appearance on August 31, 2007, against the Baltimore Orioles.
Timlin’s 2005 season exceeded expectations when he posted the best numbers of his career. In a career-high 81 appearances he recorded a career-low 2.24 ERA. Also worth noting, he allowed only two home runs in his 80 1⁄3 innings pitched.
Timlin appeared in the eighth inning of Game 1 of the 2007 World Series, pitching one inning of scoreless relief. The appearance came 15 years to the day that Timlin closed out the final game of the 1992 World Series
As of 2007, Timlin was the only active player to have played on four non-New York Yankees championship teams: (the 1992 and 1993 Toronto Blue Jays and the 2004 and 2007 Boston Red Sox).
On September 15, 2008, while playing the Tampa Bay Rays, Timlin set the record for most appearances by a right-handed relief pitcher with 1,050 games. He passed Kent Tekulve for first on the all-time list. As of the end of the 2008 season, Timlin ranked seventh in appearances among all-time pitchers, with 1,058 appearances. He was second among active pitchers, behind only Mike Stanton (1,178).