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Dennis Dale McLain
Detroit Tigers
Pitcher
Born: March 29, 1944, Chicago, IL
Signed: Signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent before 1962 season
Major League Teams: Detroit Tigers 1963-1970; Washington Senators 1971; Oakland Athletics 1972; Atlanta Braves 1972
In a span of just a few short years, Denny McLain went from one of the best pitchers in baseball to a convicted felon. Signs of dominance began in 1965 when McLain spent his first full season with the Tigers, winning 16 games and pitching to a 2.61 ERA over 33 appearances. He took off from there. McLain was a 20-game winner in 1966, a 17-game winner in 1967 and then enjoyed his career year in 1968, the Year of the Pitcher. McLain went 31-6 that season, becoming the last pitcher to date (and perhaps ever) to win 30 games in a season. He led the league in wins, complete games (28) and innings pitched (336), winning both the Cy Young Award and the American League MVP. He helped the Tigers reach the World Series, and they defeated the Cardinals in seven games. He settled down a bit in 1969 but still had an incredible season, going 24-9 and winning his second straight Cy Young.
And then the wheels came off. Already known for his extracurricular endeavors, he was suspended at the start of the 1970 season for his gambling activities. When that suspension ended, he earned further suspensions for dousing sportswriters with buckets of water and later for carrying a gun on a team flight. McLain was dealt to the Senators where he went 10-22 in 1971. A few short years later, McLain was out of baseball and his troubles with the law were only beginning. In 10 seasons, he went 131-91 with a 3.39 ERA and 1,282 strikeouts over 1,886 innings pitched. McLain spent much of the next few decades either in prison or in rehab, when he wasn't appearing on sports radio talk shows. He was released from his most recent prison stay in 2003 after serving seven years for charges connected to embezzlement and money laundering.
Building the Set
September 9, 2021 from Grove City, OH - Card #353
On August 31st, my Mom had back surgery in an effort to alleviate chronic back pain she had been suffering for years. The surgery was a success and as I compose this post a month afterwards, she's recovering nicely. I spent quite a lot of time on the day of my Mom's surgery staring at my phone, waiting for updates from my sister and browsing through eBay. With Covid protocols in place, my Mom was only allowed one visitor at a time and I spent a solid few hours sitting in the hospital's lobby and randomly bidding on a bunch of cards needed for our 1965 Topps set. I won two of the auctions a few days later, and they'll serve as a nice reminder of how grateful I continue to be for my Mom and her health.
The Card / Tigers Team Set
McLain's rookie card must have been highly coveted among collectors in the mid to late 1960s, as he quickly attained elite status as one of the league's top pitchers. His 1968 Topps card, which is probably his most well-known card since it's the year he won the MVP and Cy Young honors, uses a photo from the same session as the photo used for this 1965 Topps card.
1965 Season
The Tigers regular pitching rotation consisted of Mickey Lolich (#335), McLain, Hank Aguirre (#522), Dave Wickersham (#375) and Joe Sparma (#587). McLain made 29 starts, going 16-6 with a 2.61 ERA, while striking out 192 batters over 220 1/3 innings pitched.
Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #236
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10): 1965-1973, 1975
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2020 Topps Heritage Senators Final Season Autographs #WSFS-DM
202 - McLain non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/1/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Building the Set
September 9, 2021 from Grove City, OH - Card #353
On August 31st, my Mom had back surgery in an effort to alleviate chronic back pain she had been suffering for years. The surgery was a success and as I compose this post a month afterwards, she's recovering nicely. I spent quite a lot of time on the day of my Mom's surgery staring at my phone, waiting for updates from my sister and browsing through eBay. With Covid protocols in place, my Mom was only allowed one visitor at a time and I spent a solid few hours sitting in the hospital's lobby and randomly bidding on a bunch of cards needed for our 1965 Topps set. I won two of the auctions a few days later, and they'll serve as a nice reminder of how grateful I continue to be for my Mom and her health.
This McLain card arrived first from eBay seller jakster2-2 from Grove City, Ohio, the day after the Joe Pepitone (#245) card arrived in the mail.
The Card / Tigers Team Set
McLain's rookie card must have been highly coveted among collectors in the mid to late 1960s, as he quickly attained elite status as one of the league's top pitchers. His 1968 Topps card, which is probably his most well-known card since it's the year he won the MVP and Cy Young honors, uses a photo from the same session as the photo used for this 1965 Topps card.
1965 Season
The Tigers regular pitching rotation consisted of Mickey Lolich (#335), McLain, Hank Aguirre (#522), Dave Wickersham (#375) and Joe Sparma (#587). McLain made 29 starts, going 16-6 with a 2.61 ERA, while striking out 192 batters over 220 1/3 innings pitched.
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First Mainstream Card: 1965 Topps #236
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10): 1965-1973, 1975
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2020 Topps Heritage Senators Final Season Autographs #WSFS-DM
202 - McLain non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/1/21.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia
Previous Card: #235 Chuck Hinton - Cleveland Indians
Previous Card: #235 Chuck Hinton - Cleveland Indians
Next Card: #237 Bernie Allen - Minnesota Twins
He was signing at a show not far from me this past weekend. I was tempted to head down and get his autograph (something I never do), just for the entertainment value.
ReplyDeleteI've seen him at several shows in the Philly area over the years, but I've never gotten his autograph either. I could be wrong, but I think he was the "free with admission auto" a few years back at one of the Valley Forge shows.
ReplyDelete