Denny McLain 31-6 1968 Detroit Tigers Signed Baseball

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Denny McLain Detroit Tigers 1963-70, Washington Senators 1971, Oakland Athletics 1972 and Atlanta Braves 1972 OML Allan H. Selig Baseball Autographed June 24, 2007 w/ COA THIS ONE IS A BEAUTY!! Great looking single signed baseball by former 31 Game Winner...Denny McLain. Denny began his career in 1963 with the Detroit Tigers. He played with the Tigers 1963-70, Washington Senators 1971, Oakland Athletics 1972 and Atlanta Braves 1972. During his career, Denny was named to three AL All-Star teams (1966, 1968, âe~69), won the AL MVP Award in 1968 when he finished with an incredible 31-6 won/loss record and a .838 winning percentage, won two Cy Young Awards (1968, 1969) and was a member of the 1968 World Champion Detroit Tigers. Denny signed the sweet spot of this OML Allan H. Selig baseball on Sunday June 24, 2007 with a blue ballpoint pen and he also inscribed underneath his name, "31-6, 1968", to note his accomplishment. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia... Dennis Dale "Denny" McLain (born March 29 , 1944 , in Chicago, Illinois ) is a former American professional baseball player. He is the last major league pitcher to win 30 or more games during a season. Professional playing career McLain attended Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago, and played shortstop and pitcher. Originally signed by the Chicago White Sox , he was selected off waivers by the Detroit Tigers , with whom he broke into the major leagues in 1963 . His first good season came in 1965 , when he posted a 2.61 ERA and a 16-6 record. He would remain one of the top pitchers in Major League Baseball until 1969 .His 1968 season was a remarkable one, as he went 31-6, was an All-Star , won the Cy Young Award , won the AL Most Valuable Player Award , and was on the World Series -winning Detroit Tigers. His 31 wins that year made him the first pitcher to win 30 games in a season since Dizzy Dean . (McLain might have won 33 games that year had it not been for two 2-1 losses late in the season.) After the Tigers had clinched the '68 AL pennant , McLain exhibited a rare display of magnanimity in a game against the New York Yankees ; in cruising to his 31st victory, with the Tigers leading 6-1, McLain intentionally gave up a 'fat' pitch to Mickey Mantle , allowing the soon-to-retire Mantle to hit his 535th homer and pass Jimmie Foxx on the all-time home run list.McLain's 1968 World Series performance was not as stellar, however, as he lost Games 1 and 4 to Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals , who posted a 1.12 ERA during the '68 season to win the National League Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards. Trailing 3 games to 2, McLain won the crucial Game 6 on just two days' rest, aided by a grand slam from Jim Northrup . Teammate Mickey Lolich went 3-0 in the series, including a complete game triumph in Game 7 against Gibson, and won the World Series MVP award.McLain was a three-time All-Star and won the Cy Young Award twice in his career, in 1968 and 1969; in the latter year, he shared the award with Mike Cuellar . His lifetime record includes a won-loss tally of 131-91, an ERA of 3.39, and 1282 strikeouts in 1886 innings pitched. Downfall of McLain's MLB career In addition to arm trouble, allegations of bookmaking and associations with gamblers and underworld criminals shortened Denny McLain's career. Early in his career, McLainâe(tm)s interest in betting on horses was piqued by Chuck Dressen , one of his first managers. McLainâe(tm)s descent into his gambling obsession was further precipitated by an offhand remark made during an interviewâe"that he drank about a case of Pepsi a day. (When he pitched, he was known to down a Pepsi between innings.) A representative from Pepsi then offered McLain a contract with the company, just for doing a few endorsements. McLain soon realized that he and the Pepsi rep shared an affinity for gambling; when the two realized how much money they were losing, and that they could earn so much more by âe~taking the actionâe(tm) on bets, they ... read more

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