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Michael Jay Andrews (born July 9, 1943) is an Americans former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an infielder for the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics. After his playing career, he served for more than 25 years as chairman of The Jimmy Fund, an event fundraising organization affiliated with the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. Bollinger, Rhett. "Andrews devotes life to Jimmy Fund", MLB.com, Saturday, June 27, 2009. He is the older brother of Rob Andrews, who played five seasons in MLB from through . Mike Andrews (statistics & history) Baseball-Reference.com
He was promoted in September 1966 to a Boston team that avoided the American League cellar by only game. The 1966 Major League Baseball Season Retrosheet Playing in five contests, all as a starter. He made his major league debut on September 18 against the California Angels at Fenway Park, going hitless in four with a run scored. He got his first hit in the majors six days later at Yankee Stadium, a single off New York's Fritz Peterson. Andrews picked up two more hits in the season finale versus the Chicago White Sox at Comiskey Park.
Even though he was reunited with the newly promoted Williams in , Andrews started his rookie season on the bench in favor of Reggie Smith, who had been shifted from center fielder. By late April, Andrews became the regular second baseman for the majority of the campaign, with Smith, struggling defensively, returning to his original position.
Andrews was traded along with Luis Alvarado to the White Sox for Luis Aparicio on December 1, 1970. Andrews hit just .237 for the White Sox, and was released on July 16, 1973, with a batting average that season of just .201.
In Game 2 of the 1973 World Series between the Oakland A's and the New York Mets, Andrews committed two errors in a four-run twelfth inning, leading to a Mets' 10–7 victory. With two outs and the Mets leading 7–6, John Milner's ground ball went through Andrews's legs for the first error, allowing Tug McGraw and Willie Mays to score. One batter later, Jerry Grote hit a ground ball to Andrews, whose throw to first pulled Gene Tenace off the bag for the second error, which allowed Cleon Jones to score. Oakland owner Charlie Finley forced him to sign a false affidavit saying he was injured, thus making him ineligible to play for the rest of the series. Andrews's teammates and manager Dick Williams rallied to Andrews's defense, including placing his number "17" onto their uniforms with athletic tape as a display of solidarity. Finally, commissioner Bowie Kuhn forced Finley to reinstate Andrews. He entered Game 4 in the eighth inning as a pinch-hitter to a standing ovation from sympathetic Mets fans. Andrews promptly grounded out, and Finley ordered him benched for the remainder of the Series. He was given his unconditional release on November 1, eleven days after the A's won their second straight World Series title. Rogers, Thomas. "People in Sports: Trade Stuns Reuss," The New York Times, Friday, November 2, 1973. Retrieved December 24, 2021 Andrews never played another major league game, playing baseball in Japan in before retiring.
In 1979, Andrews received an offer from Ken Coleman, The Jimmy Fund's executive director at the time, to become its assistant director. He accepted under the condition that the job be part-time because he was still working for the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, which he had joined after his professional baseball career ended. He eventually left the insurance business and served full-time with the fund, becoming its chairman in 1984. He retired from the position at the end of 2009. "Former Red Sox player Mike Andrews to retire as Jimmy Fund Chairman," The Jimmy Fund press release, Monday, November 30, 2009. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
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