Dean Chance, baseball player, 1961-1971

Dean Chance

Born: 6/1/1941 in Wooster, OH, USA

Died: 10/11/2015 in Wooster, OH, USA

MLB Debut: 1961-09-11 | Final Game: 1971-08-09

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 200 lbs

Full name: Wilmer Dean Chance

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Biography

Dean Chance was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball, playing from 1961 until 1971. Born in 1941, he made a significant impact during his career, which was marked by his exceptional skills on the mound. Chance finished with a record of 128 wins and 115 losses, complemented by a commendable earned run average (ERA) of 2.92. He recorded a total of 1,534 strikeouts and collected 23 saves over his career, showcasing his ability to dominate hitters and close out games effectively. Chance's noteworthy achievements included winning the prestigious Cy Young Award, which recognized him as the best pitcher in the league during his outstanding performances. He was selected as an All-Star on two occasions, further cementing his status as one of the top pitchers of his era. Playing primarily in the 1960s, a decade characterized by strong pitching and competitive baseball, Chance's contributions to the game have been remembered as he left a lasting legacy in the sport.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
128 115 406 294 83 33 23 2147.3 1864 697 122 739 1534 2.92 0

Career ERA 2.92 vs. league average 3.57 across their career seasons — 18.2% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1961 LAA AL 0 2 5 4 0 0 0 18.3 33 14 5 11 6.87 4.03 (-71%) 768.6
1962 LAA AL 14 10 50 24 6 2 8 206.7 195 68 66 127 2.96 3.96 (+25%) 3532.5
1963 LAA AL 13 18 45 35 6 2 3 248.0 229 88 90 168 3.19 3.46 (+8%) 3915.6
1964 LAA AL 20 9 46 35 15 11 4 278.3 194 51 86 207 1.65 3.58 (+54%) 8736.7
1965 LAA AL 15 10 36 33 10 4 0 225.7 197 79 101 164 3.15 3.50 (+10%) -
1966 LAA AL 12 17 41 37 11 2 1 259.7 206 89 114 180 3.08 3.52 (+12%) -
1967 MIN AL 20 14 41 39 18 5 1 283.7 244 86 68 220 2.73 3.30 (+17%) 5578.6
1968 MIN AL 16 16 43 39 15 6 1 292.0 224 82 63 234 2.53 2.98 (+15%) 6050.6
1969 MIN AL 5 4 20 15 1 0 0 88.3 76 29 35 50 2.95 3.61 (+18%) 64.7
1970 CLE AL 9 8 45 19 1 1 4 155.0 172 73 59 109 4.24 3.89 (-9%) -455.1
1970 NYN NL 0 1 3 0 0 0 1 2.0 3 3 2 0 13.50 — 0.0
1971 DET AL 4 6 31 14 0 0 0 89.7 91 35 50 64 3.51 3.47 (-1%) -197.5

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
406 662 17 44 2 0 0 16 0 30 420 0.066 0.113 0.069 0.183 -6606.0

Career AVG .066 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — 73.3% below league average.

Career OBP .113 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — 64.1% below league average.

Career SLG .069 vs. league average .373 across their career seasons — 81.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.183 vs. league average 0.688 across their career seasons — 73.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1961 LAA AL 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1962 LAA AL 50 65 1 4 0 0 0 1 0 3 29 0.062 .257 (-76%) .326 (-68%) .393 (-84%) .719 (-77%) -867.4
1963 LAA AL 45 80 5 12 1 0 0 3 0 2 38 0.150 .246 (-39%) .308 (-45%) .371 (-56%) .680 (-51%) -663.4
1964 LAA AL 46 89 3 7 0 0 0 0 0 3 53 0.079 .250 (-69%) .312 (-65%) .377 (-79%) .690 (-73%) -1067.4
1965 LAA AL 36 75 3 7 1 0 0 5 0 5 56 0.093 .245 (-62%) .310 (-52%) .371 (-71%) .682 (-62%) -750.2
1966 LAA AL 41 76 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 54 0.026 .248 (-89%) .309 (-76%) .376 (-93%) .685 (-85%) -1051.3
1967 MIN AL 41 92 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 7 58 0.033 .242 (-87%) .306 (-61%) .357 (-91%) .663 (-77%) -1112.7
1968 MIN AL 43 93 0 5 0 0 0 3 0 3 63 0.054 .236 (-77%) .298 (-69%) .340 (-84%) .638 (-77%) -1093.7
1969 MIN AL 20 24 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 19 0.042 — — — — 0.0
1970 CLE AL 45 42 1 3 0 0 0 3 0 2 32 0.071 — — — — 0.0
1970 NYN NL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1971 DET AL 31 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 0.000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1969 ALCS MIN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 1 0 0 2.0 4 3 0 2 13.50

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1969 ALCS MIN 0 0 1 0 0 2.0 4 3 0 2 13.50

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 406 294 111 373 33 31

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1961 LAA P 5 4 1 6 0 1
1962 LAA P 50 24 12 37 1 2
1963 LAA P 45 35 15 46 6 2
1964 LAA P 46 35 10 33 1 1
1965 CAL P 36 33 14 49 1 6
1966 CAL P 41 37 17 48 4 7
1967 MIN P 41 39 15 51 7 6
1968 MIN P 43 39 15 57 5 3
1969 MIN P 20 15 3 9 0 1
1970 CLE P 45 19 3 20 2 2
1970 NYN P 3 0 0 1 0 0
1971 DET P 31 14 6 16 6 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 406

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1967 TSN Comeback Player of the Year
1964 Cy Young Award
1964 TSN All-Star P
1964 TSN Pitcher of the Year

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1967 Most Valuable Player AL 13th 19.0 280 0
1964 Cy Young Award ML 1st 17.0 20 17
1964 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 97.0 280 0
1962 Rookie of the Year AL 3rd 1.0 20 1