He was a cocky handsome free spirited pitcher that was practically unbeatable. Denny McLain looked like a sure bet for the future Hall of Fame. But there was something hidden behind the smiling face the fans saw. His 1968 31 wins were the most since Dizzy Dean’s 30 in 1934 and has not been duplicated since. McLain was so good he won a second consecutive Cy Young Award in 1969 with 24 wins. But in 1970 the picture turned ugly. Multiple suspensions, followed by gambling debts and organized crime connections were enough for the Tigers to send him off to the Senators. Poor pitching and conflicts with Senator manager Ted Williams, sent him packing to the Oakland A's in 1971, Two months into the season he was traded to the Braves. His weight and his ERA ballooned. In 1973 he retired at age 29, after posting a 7-12 record over the past 2 years. Things went from bad to worse. The gambling led to bankruptcy, embezzlement, and drug trafficking convictions resulting in various imprisonments during the next 15 years. A Cinderella story with an unhappy ending.
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Dan
I can't imagine the disappointment of the Tiger fans when Denny turned bad. He is still with us I believe and had a podcast not long ago.
Thanks for your support.
In the summer of '69, I was 11 years old and lived in the city of Detroit. McLain went from living legend to persona non grata by the time I was 13. Everybody knew his name and remembered him, they just didn't talk about him anymore.