Denny McLain, baseball player, 1963-1972

Denny McLain

Born: 3/29/1944 in Chicago, IL, USA

MLB Debut: 1963-09-21 | Final Game: 1972-09-12

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'1" | Weight: 185 lbs

Full name: Dennis Dale McLain

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Biography

Denny McLain was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball, known for his exceptional talent and competitive spirit. Born in 1944, he played from 1963 until his retirement in 1972, primarily with the Detroit Tigers. McLain achieved a career record of 131 wins and 91 losses, with an earned run average (ERA) of 3.39. Over the course of his career, he struck out 1,282 batters and recorded 2 saves. His remarkable performance on the mound earned him recognition as a three-time All-Star and a two-time recipient of the prestigious Cy Young Award, marking him as one of the standout pitchers of his era. Playing during a time when the game was evolving and becoming more competitive, McLain's contributions were significant, particularly in the late 1960s when he helped lead the Tigers to a World Series championship in 1968. He was known for his fierce competitiveness and an arsenal of pitches that included a powerful fastball and an effective curveball. McLain's ability to dominate opposing lineups made him a central figure in baseball history, as he became the last pitcher to win 30 games in a season, a feat he accomplished in 1968. His career remains a testament to the skill and intensity that characterized baseball during the era he played.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
131 91 280 264 105 29 2 1886.0 1646 711 242 548 1282 3.39 0

Career ERA 3.39 vs. league average 3.47 across their career seasons — near 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
1963 DET AL 2 1 3 3 2 0 0 21.0 20 10 16 22 4.29 3.46 (-24%) -236.6
1964 DET AL 4 5 19 16 3 0 0 100.0 84 45 37 70 4.05 3.58 (-13%) -2154.5
1965 DET AL 16 6 33 29 13 4 1 220.3 174 64 62 192 2.61 3.50 (+25%) 2176.5
1966 DET AL 20 14 38 38 14 4 0 264.3 205 115 104 192 3.92 3.52 (-11%) -6001.0
1967 DET AL 17 16 37 37 10 3 0 235.0 209 99 73 161 3.79 3.30 (-15%) -4753.3
1968 DET AL 31 6 41 41 28 6 0 336.0 241 73 63 280 1.96 2.98 (+34%) 4024.5
1969 DET AL 24 9 42 41 23 9 0 325.0 288 101 67 181 2.80 3.61 (+23%) 4877.8
1970 DET AL 3 5 14 14 1 0 0 91.3 100 47 28 52 4.63 3.89 (-19%) -3109.0
1971 WS2 AL 10 22 33 32 9 3 0 216.7 233 103 72 103 4.28 3.47 (-23%) -5262.8
1972 OAK AL 1 2 5 5 0 0 0 22.3 32 15 8 8 6.04 3.26 (-85%) -1021.7
1972 ATL NL 3 5 15 8 2 0 1 54.0 60 39 18 21 6.50 3.26 (-99%) -3141.8

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
285 616 32 82 5 2 1 31 1 25 244 0.133 0.166 0.153 0.318 -4416.6

Career AVG .133 vs. league average .247 across their career seasons — 46.0% below league average.

Career OBP .166 vs. league average .313 across their career seasons — 46.9% below league average.

Career SLG .153 vs. league average .367 across their career seasons — 58.4% below league average.

Career OPS 0.318 vs. league average 0.680 across their career seasons — 53.1% 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
1963 DET AL 3 5 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 0.200 — — — — 0.0
1964 DET AL 20 37 2 5 0 0 0 2 0 1 15 0.135 — — — — 0.0
1965 DET AL 33 74 2 4 0 0 0 3 0 6 32 0.054 .245 (-78%) .310 (-60%) .371 (-85%) .682 (-74%) -884.8
1966 DET AL 38 93 10 17 2 0 0 5 1 5 39 0.183 .248 (-26%) .309 (-27%) .376 (-46%) .685 (-37%) -555.6
1967 DET AL 38 85 3 10 0 0 0 0 0 2 37 0.118 .242 (-51%) .306 (-55%) .357 (-67%) .663 (-61%) -819.4
1968 DET AL 44 111 7 18 1 1 0 4 0 1 37 0.162 .236 (-31%) .298 (-43%) .340 (-44%) .638 (-44%) -763.8
1969 DET AL 42 106 5 17 0 0 0 8 0 4 41 0.160 .248 (-35%) .320 (-41%) .369 (-57%) .689 (-50%) -883.8
1970 DET AL 14 31 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 13 0.065 — — — — 0.0
1971 WS2 AL 33 58 0 6 1 1 0 7 0 4 22 0.103 .249 (-59%) .316 (-49%) .365 (-58%) .682 (-54%) -509.1
1972 OAK AL 5 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.000 — — — — 0.0
1972 ATL NL 15 12 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 0.167 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1968 WS DET 3 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 2 3 3 0 16.7 18 6 4 13 3.24

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1968 WS DET 1 2 3 3 0 16.7 18 6 4 13 3.24

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 280 264 154 212 13 15

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1963 DET P 3 3 0 6 2 2
1964 DET P 19 16 4 6 1 0
1965 DET P 33 29 17 30 1 1
1966 DET P 38 38 14 34 0 2
1967 DET P 37 37 21 22 5 4
1968 DET P 41 41 36 40 1 3
1969 DET P 42 41 26 24 2 1
1970 DET P 14 14 7 14 0 1
1971 WS2 P 33 32 27 26 0 1
1972 OAK P 5 5 0 5 0 0
1972 ATL P 15 8 2 5 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 280

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1969 Cy Young Award
1969 TSN All-Star RHP
1969 TSN Pitcher of the Year
1968 Cy Young Award
1968 Most Valuable Player
1968 TSN All-Star P
1968 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1968 TSN Pitcher of the Year

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1969 Cy Young Award AL 1st 10.0 24 10
1969 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 85.0 336 0
1968 Cy Young Award AL 1st 20.0 20 20
1968 Most Valuable Player AL 1st 280.0 280 20
1966 Most Valuable Player AL 15th 12.0 280 0