John Denny, baseball player, 1974-1986

John Denny

Born: 11/8/1952 in Prescott, AZ, USA

MLB Debut: 1974-09-12 | Final Game: 1986-08-18

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: John Allen Denny

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Biography

John Denny, born in 1952, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball who had a career spanning from 1974 until his retirement in 1986. Over the course of his 12-year tenure, Denny compiled a record of 123 wins and 108 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.59. Known for his durability and skill on the mound, he recorded a total of 1,146 strikeouts, showcasing his ability to overpower hitters throughout his career. Denny's contributions to the game were recognized when he was awarded the prestigious Cy Young Award, a testament to his excellence during the peak of his career. Denny played in an era characterized by a transition in pitching styles and strategies, moving away from the deadball era towards more power-driven offenses. His ability to adapt to the evolving landscape of baseball made him a valuable asset to the teams he played for. While he never recorded a save, Denny's primary role as a starting pitcher solidified his place in the annals of baseball history, where he remains noted for his resilience and competitive spirit on the field.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
123 108 325 322 62 18 0 2148.7 2093 856 137 778 1146 3.59 0

Career ERA 3.59 vs. league average 3.81 across their career seasons — 5.8% 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
1974 STL NL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2.0 3 0 0 1 0.00 — -
1975 STL NL 10 7 25 24 3 2 0 136.0 149 60 51 72 3.97 3.71 (-7%) -
1976 STL NL 11 9 30 30 8 3 0 207.0 189 58 74 74 2.52 3.51 (+28%) -
1977 STL NL 8 8 26 26 3 1 0 149.7 165 75 62 60 4.51 4.00 (-13%) -
1978 STL NL 14 11 33 33 11 2 0 234.0 200 77 74 103 2.96 3.69 (+20%) -
1979 STL NL 8 11 31 31 5 2 0 206.0 206 111 100 99 4.85 4.00 (-21%) -
1980 CLE AL 8 6 16 16 4 1 0 108.7 116 53 47 59 4.39 3.84 (-14%) 725.5
1981 CLE AL 10 6 19 19 6 3 0 145.7 139 51 66 94 3.15 3.58 (+12%) 186.1
1982 CLE AL 6 11 21 21 5 0 0 138.3 126 77 73 94 5.01 3.86 (-30%) -859.3
1982 PHI NL 0 2 4 4 0 0 0 22.3 18 10 10 19 4.03 3.86 (-4%) 517.4
1983 PHI NL 19 6 36 36 7 1 0 242.7 229 64 53 139 2.37 3.87 (+39%) 6854.4
1984 PHI NL 7 7 22 22 2 0 0 154.3 122 42 29 94 2.45 3.81 (+36%) 2758.3
1985 PHI NL 11 14 33 33 6 2 0 230.7 252 98 83 123 3.82 3.89 (+2%) 1883.1
1986 CIN NL 11 10 27 27 2 1 0 171.3 179 80 56 115 4.20 3.97 (-6%) 1575.0

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
326 570 44 97 9 2 0 29 9 19 164 0.170 0.197 0.193 0.390 -3682.1

Career AVG .170 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 34.5% below league average.

Career OBP .197 vs. league average .325 across their career seasons — 39.3% below league average.

Career SLG .193 vs. league average .384 across their career seasons — 49.8% below league average.

Career OPS 0.390 vs. league average 0.709 across their career seasons — 45.0% 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
1974 STL NL 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1975 STL NL 26 44 4 10 0 0 0 3 0 0 17 0.227 — — — — 0.0
1976 STL NL 30 67 3 15 2 0 0 4 1 1 27 0.224 .255 (-12%) .320 (-27%) .360 (-30%) .681 (-28%) -308.0
1977 STL NL 26 51 4 5 0 0 0 2 1 1 15 0.098 .264 (-63%) .329 (-60%) .401 (-76%) .730 (-68%) -582.6
1978 STL NL 33 73 10 13 3 1 0 3 0 4 21 0.178 .257 (-31%) .323 (-33%) .378 (-35%) .702 (-34%) -430.5
1979 STL NL 31 70 5 9 2 1 0 3 1 1 21 0.129 .265 (-52%) .329 (-58%) .397 (-53%) .727 (-55%) -682.5
1980 CLE AL 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 CLE AL 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 CLE AL 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 PHI NL 4 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0.167 — — — — 0.0
1983 PHI NL 36 77 7 13 1 0 0 2 2 2 16 0.169 .260 (-35%) .324 (-42%) .389 (-53%) .714 (-48%) -616.0
1984 PHI NL 22 47 3 9 0 0 0 4 0 1 11 0.191 — — — — 0.0
1985 PHI NL 33 81 2 10 1 0 0 4 2 4 19 0.123 .257 (-52%) .323 (-49%) .390 (-65%) .714 (-58%) -779.6
1986 CIN NL 27 54 6 12 0 0 0 4 2 3 15 0.222 .257 (-14%) .325 (-19%) .395 (-44%) .720 (-33%) -282.8

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 6 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.167

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1983 NLCS PHI 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000
1983 WS PHI 2 5 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0.200

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 2 3 3 0 19.0 17 5 6 12 2.37

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1983 NLCS PHI 0 1 1 1 0 6.0 5 0 3 3 0.00
1983 WS PHI 1 1 2 2 0 13.0 12 5 3 9 3.46

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 325 322 179 451 32 46

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1974 SLN P 2 0 0 0 0 0
1975 SLN P 25 24 11 30 4 2
1976 SLN P 30 30 24 34 4 3
1977 SLN P 26 26 9 37 3 3
1978 SLN P 33 33 17 73 4 8
1979 SLN P 31 31 16 36 2 4
1980 CLE P 16 16 8 18 1 2
1981 CLE P 19 19 14 40 3 7
1982 CLE P 21 21 12 19 0 2
1982 PHI P 4 4 1 7 0 1
1983 PHI P 36 36 16 42 8 6
1984 PHI P 22 22 20 36 1 2
1985 PHI P 33 33 15 39 0 4
1986 CIN P 27 27 16 40 2 2

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 325

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1983 Cy Young Award
1983 Pitcher of the Month September
1983 TSN All-Star RHP
1983 TSN Comeback Player of the Year
1983 TSN Pitcher of the Year
1981 Player of the Week Week of 1981-09-04

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1986 CIN NL $1,083,333
1985 PHI NL $1,109,333
Total Career Earnings $2,192,666

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1983 Cy Young Award NL 1st 103.0 120 20
1983 Most Valuable Player NL 13th 24.0 336 0