Michael Augustine Torrez (born August 28, 1946) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) starting pitcher. In an 18-season career, he pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals (1967–1971), Montreal Expos (1971–1974), Baltimore Orioles (1975), Oakland Athletics (1976–1977, 1984), New York Yankees (1977), Boston Red Sox (1978–1982), and New York Mets (1983–1984). As a member of the Yankees, he won two games of the 1977 World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers. He batted and threw right-handed.

A native of Topeka, Kansas, Torrez was signed by the Cardinals in 1964. He made his MLB debut with them in 1967 and became a full-time major leaguer in 1969, winning nine of his final 10 starts that year. He had a 10–4 record in 1969 but an 8–10 record in 1970 before getting traded to the Expos during the 1971 season. After pitching one game for Montreal that year, Torrez spent the next three seasons with the ballclub, winning 16 games in 1972 and 15 games in 1974. Traded to the Orioles for 1975, he won 20 games for the only time in his career, posting a .690 winning percentage. The Orioles sent him to Oakland for 1976 as part of the Reggie Jackson trade; Torrez won 16 games for Oakland in 1976 before getting traded to the Yankees in April 1977. He reached the playoffs for the only time in his career that year, winning two World Series games as the Yankees defeated the Dodgers in six games.

After the World Series, Torrez signed a seven-year, $2.5 million contract with the rival Boston Red Sox and helped them contend for the American League (AL) East title all season. Boston and New York finished the season with identical records, and Torrez pitched the tie-breaker game to determine the winner. He allowed a pivotal home run to Bucky Dent of the Yankees, and though he was initially cheered by Red Sox fans as he left the game, he would soon become a scapegoat for a frustrated fan base. He pitched for Boston for four more seasons, winning 16 games in 1979 and finishing second in the AL in winning percentage in 1981. After the 1982 season, he was traded to the Mets, with whom he served as a mentor for New York's young pitchers. He was released in 1984 and pitched two games with Oakland that year before finishing his career in the minor leagues in 1985.

Torrez was born on August 28, 1946, in Topeka, Kansas, the descendant of Mexican immigrants who had come to the United States to work for the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad. He was the fifth of eight children of Juan and Mary Torrez, who lived in the Oakland neighborhood of Topeka, Kansas. His father, who worked for the railroad, also coached local Cosmopolitan and Little League teams, winning city championships as their manager. At Topeka High School, Mike played basketball but not baseball; the sport was dropped by the school in the late 1950s because it conflicted with the track schedule. He played American Legion Baseball for three years, posting a 13–1 record for the Van-Ts in his final year. He was named to the Eastern Kansas All-Star team and, in his final American Legion game, struck out 18 when he faced the Nebraska All-Star team. Marion McDonald, a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals, became interested in Torrez after seeing him pitch in Lawrence. Torrez also attended a tryout with the Detroit Tigers, who were so impressed with him that they later offered him a $75,000 contract–but their offer was too late. Shortly after his eighteenth birthday, Torrez signed for $20,000 with the Cardinals as an amateur free agent on September 10, 1964.

Upon signing with the Cardinals, Torrez was assigned to an instructional camp in Hollywood, Florida, for two weeks. He then appeared in nine games (five starts) for the Cardinals' affiliate in the Florida East Coast Instructional League. In 1965, he pitched for the Raleigh Cardinals of the Single-A Carolina League. Torrez had some highlights during the year, such as a game against the Winston-Salem Red Sox where he retired 15 batters in a row. However, he and the team struggled, and he finished the season with a 4–8 record, a 4.79 earned run average (ERA), 81 strikeouts, and 75 walks in 94 innings pitched. He pitched for the Single-A Rock Hill Cardinals of the Western Carolina League in 1966. One day, against the Salisbury Astros, he won two games, finishing a contest that had been suspended and pitching 7+2⁄3 innings in the second game. He made the league All-Star team, posting a 7–4 record, a 2.50 ERA, and only 37 walks in 90 innings. This earned him a promotion to the Double-A Arkansas Travelers, who would win the Texas League championship in 1966. At the higher level, Torrez was inconsistent, posting a 3–9 record and walking 42 batters in 79 innings. However, his ERA with Arkansas was 2.62.

Just 20 years old in 1967, Torrez thought he had a chance to make St. Louis's Opening Day roster. "If they go by how everybody is pitching, I'd have a pretty good chance right now. Everything has been going real good so far. I've been throwing strikes. And getting the ball where I want it...keeping it down." He failed to make the roster but joined the Tulsa Oilers of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League (PCL). In the first half of the season, he walked too many batters, posting a 3–8 record. Then, though, Torrez won six games in a row. On July 28, he threw a shutout in a 1–0 victory over the Oklahoma City 89ers, and he held the Hawaii Islanders to three hits on August 9. Following the Oklahoma City game, Fred McAlister, the Cardinals' assistant minor league director, proclaimed "Torrez can pitch in any league, including the National [League] (NL), the way he pitched against the 89ers."

Torrez got his first chance to pitch in the NL in September, when he was called up by the Cardinals on the 10th of the month. In his major league debut the next day, he faced just one batter, Donn Clendenon, and struck him out. He made his first career start on September 22 and exited the game after five innings with a 2-1 lead, but he took a no decision as the bullpen was unable to hold the lead. In his third, and final, appearance of the season, he entered a tie ballgame with the Chicago Cubs with one out in the ninth inning. He struck out the first batter he faced, then gave up a double and a run scoring base hit for his first career loss. The Cardinals won the 1967 World Series, but Torrez was not on their roster for it because he was promoted too late in the season. Following the season, he pitched 106 innings for Licey in the Dominican Republic. Since he had been born and raised in the United States, he spoke little Spanish, which surprised people who assumed that he did because of his last name. During an interview with a Spanish radio station, "The guy asked me in Spanish how tall I was, and I told him 220 pounds. It really cracked him up."

Along with Johnny Bench, Cisco Carlos, Alan Foster and Don Pepper, Torrez was featured on the March 11, 1968 Sports Illustrated cover, which featured the magazine's picks for the rookies with the highest potential heading into the 1968 season. Though the Cardinals were rich in pitching, with a rotation that included Bob Gibson and Steve Carlton, Torrez made the roster out of spring training. He earned his first career win in a start against the Cubs on April 19, giving up two runs in 5+2⁄3 innings. After a second win on May 4, he would not make another appearance for 21 days, due to strong performances by the Cardinals starters. His ERA at this point was 2.60, but after he walked three batters in 1+2⁄3 innings on May 26, he was sent to Tulsa for the rest of the season. The Cardinals' general manager, Bing Devine, explained that the move was to get Torrez more work: "Anybody is going to suffer when he hasn't worked in 18 games or so. I know he would rather start than relieve." At the time, Torrez had a 2-1 record with a 2.84 ERA in five major league appearances. He had an 8-2 record and a 3.24 ERA to lead the Oilers to a 95-53 record, best in the Pacific Coast League. After finishing last in the Pacific Coast League the year before, Tulsa defeated the Spokane Indians in seven games to win the league championship. He again continued to pitch after the season, as he joined St. Louis for a month-long exhibition tour of Japan.