BALTIMORE -- Legendary Orioles pitcher and Hall of Famer Jim Palmer has published an autobiography entitled "Nine Innings to Success," which details his approach to achieving success.
The three-time Cy Young Award recipient and eight-time 20-game winner pitched for Baltimore for 19 seasons from 1965-1984 (he missed all of 1968 with an arm injury), compiling 268 wins (36th all-time) with a career 2.86 ERA.
Below is an excerpt from the book highlighting "The Oriole Way," what Palmer describes as key principles for Baltimore's success during his time with the team:
"The Oriole system was based on this type of continuity. At each stop on the Minor League ladder, instructors taught fundamentals the same way. When you got to the Majors, you knew what was expected of you and didn't have to learn the finer points of how to play. To the casual fan, baseball is a game of highlights. Towering home runs, tremendous catches, or close plays at the plate tend to stand out more than when a fielder hits a cut-off man, a baserunner goes from first to third on a single, or a hitter makes an out but advances a runner."
This excerpt from "Nine Innings to Success: A Hall of Famer's Approach to Achieving Excellence" by Jim Palmer with Alan Maimon is printed with the permission of Triumph Books.