McLain, "Denny" (Dennis D.)
Baseball
b. March 24, 1944, Chicago, IL
In 1968, McLain became the first major league pitcher to win 30 or more games since Dizzy Dean in 1934. He had a 31-6 record and a 1.96 ERA and was the league leader in victories, winning percentage (.838), complete games (28) and innings pitched (336). That performance won him the AL's Cy Young and most valuable player awards, and he was also named male athlete of the year by the Associated Press.
The Detroit Tigers won the pennant behind McLain's effort. He had only a 1-2 record and a 3.24 ERA in the World Series, but the Tigers beat the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.
A right-hander, McLain led the league in victories with a 24-9 record, in shutouts with 9, and in innings pitched with 325 in 1969, when he shared the Cy Young Award with Mike Cuellar of the Baltimore Orioles.
Early in 1970, word leaked that McLain was being investigated by a Detroit grand jury for possible involvement with gamblers. After he admitted investing money in a bookmaking operation, he was suspended indefinitely by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. The suspension was lifted in July, but he was suspended by the Tigers twice during the season for a bizarre actions, including dumping a bucket of ice water on two sportswriters, carrying a gun on a commercial airliner, and threatening a parking lot attendant.
After a miserable 10-22 record with the Washington Senators in 1971, McLain pitched briefly for the Oakland Athletics and the Atlanta Braves in 1972. That was the end of his meteoric major-league career. In 1985, he was sentenced to twenty-three years in prison for of racketeering, loan sharking, extortion, and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. He served thirty months before winning an appeal and his freedom.
McLain had a career 131-91 record with 2 shutouts and a 3.39 ERA. He struck out 1,282 hitters and walked 548 in 1,886 innings.