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Wilmer Dean Chance
Los Angeles Angels
Pitcher
Born: June 1, 1941, Wooster, OH
Signed: Signed by the Baltimore Orioles as an amateur free agent before 1959 season
Major League Teams: Los Angeles Angels 1961-1965; California Angels 1966; Minnesota Twins 1967-1969; Cleveland Indians 1970; New York Mets 1970; Detroit Tigers 1971
Died: October 11, 2015, Wooster, OH (age 74)Major League Teams: Los Angeles Angels 1961-1965; California Angels 1966; Minnesota Twins 1967-1969; Cleveland Indians 1970; New York Mets 1970; Detroit Tigers 1971
Dean Chance shot to stardom early and enjoyed several dominant seasons with the Angels and Twins in the mid-1960s. He was the youngest ever (at the time) to win the Cy Young Award in 1964 when as a 23-year-old he went 20-9 with a 1.65 ERA for the Angels. He led the league that season in wins, ERA, complete games, shutouts and innings pitched and was third in the league with 207 strikeouts. Against the powerhouse Yankees, Chance made five starts throwing four complete games and three shutouts, pitching to an 0.18 ERA over 50 innings. He was an All-Star in 1964 and 1967. Desperate for offense, the Angels dealt Chance to the Twins before the 1967 season. He won 20 games that season, pitching a no-hitter against the Indians on August 25th, and Chance was named A.L. Comeback Player of the Year for his efforts
He spent the final seasons of his big league career with Twins, Indians, Mets and Tigers, primarily as a reliever. Chance retired with a career 128-115 record and a 2.92 ERA over 406 appearances. His 1,534 career strikeouts are currently 206th all-time and he was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in 2015.
The Card / Angels Team Set
Chance appears on four cards in the set, this card and three league leaders cards. I'll know for sure once I'm closer to completing the set, but I believe that will tie the record for number of appearances in the set with Bob Gibson (#320) and Elston Howard (#450) also appearing on four cards. For his Cy Young Award winning season, Chance received a hero number and his successful 1964 campaign is highlighted on the back of the card.
Building the Set
May 15, 2021 from Lake Havasu City, AZ - Card #281
After adding a number of star cards in April, I decided I should focus on a group of commons for our set in May. I set out specifically to add reasonably priced cards from the set's second series and I found a few eBay sellers running specials on recent set breaks. In total, I added 23 cards over three-day period with this Chance card coming from Kyle's Sports Cards located in Lake Havasu City, Arizona for $4.
May 15, 2021 from Lake Havasu City, AZ - Card #281
After adding a number of star cards in April, I decided I should focus on a group of commons for our set in May. I set out specifically to add reasonably priced cards from the set's second series and I found a few eBay sellers running specials on recent set breaks. In total, I added 23 cards over three-day period with this Chance card coming from Kyle's Sports Cards located in Lake Havasu City, Arizona for $4.
When these cards arrived, life was slowly returning to a pre-pandemic pace with Little League baseball games, tennis and piano lessons on the calendar. There was a little over a month of school remaining and everyone was anxious and excited for summer vacation.
The Card / Angels Team Set
Chance appears on four cards in the set, this card and three league leaders cards. I'll know for sure once I'm closer to completing the set, but I believe that will tie the record for number of appearances in the set with Bob Gibson (#320) and Elston Howard (#450) also appearing on four cards. For his Cy Young Award winning season, Chance received a hero number and his successful 1964 campaign is highlighted on the back of the card.
Chance, at card #66, is one of 72 players featured within the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set and one of three Angels in the set. He's also in the harder to find 1965 Topps Transfers insert set.
1965 Season
Chance came back down to Earth somewhat after his career year in 1964, going 15-10 with a 3.15 ERA over 36 appearances and 33 starts. It was Chance's first year in the majors without his roommate and partner in Hollywood night life crime, Bo Belinsky (#225), who had been dealt to the Phillies in the offseason. Chance, Fred Newman (#101) and Marcelino Lopez (#537) were the top three starters for an Angels team that finished in seventh place in the American League.
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First Mainstream Card: 1962 Topps #194
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10): 1962-1971
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2007 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Classic #135
121 - Chance non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/16/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
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