Dennis Dale McLain (born March 29, 1944) was an American former professional baseball player. He played for ten seasons in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher, and he was best known for playing for the Detroit Tigers. In 1968, McLain became the last Major League Baseball pitcher to win 30 or more games in a season (with a record of 31–6). Only 11 players achieved this in the 20th century, and the last time this happened was 34 years before 1968.

As a player, McLain was known for speaking his mind, which sometimes caused problems with teammates and fans. During his early years in the major leagues, he earned two Cy Young Awards and an American League MVP Award. While he had success in baseball, he also faced legal problems in his personal life, including being convicted of crimes related to organized crime and embezzlement. He was sent to prison for these crimes.

Professional playing career

McLain was born in Markham, Illinois, and attended Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago. He played baseball as a shortstop and pitcher for the school’s team. As a teenager, he met Sharyn Boudreau, who later became his wife. Sharyn was the daughter of Lou Boudreau, a major league baseball player. McLain also learned to play the organ from Bob Creed, who was the organist for the Chicago White Sox.

After graduating from high school in June 1962, McLain signed with the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent. He was sent to play for the Harlan Smokies in the Appalachian League. His first game in the minor leagues was special because he threw a no-hitter and struck out 16 batters in a game against the Salem Rebels on June 28. After only two games with the Smokies, he was moved to the Clinton C-Sox in the Midwest League, where he had four wins and seven losses.

At the time, players who had one year of experience in the minor leagues could be drafted if they were not called up to the major leagues. The White Sox did not promote McLain, and he was selected by the Detroit Tigers on April 8, 1963. He advanced quickly through the Tigers’ minor league system, moving from Class A Duluth-Superior to Class AA Knoxville during the summer. The Tigers believed he had enough talent to move him directly to the major leagues. McLain made his major league debut on September 21, 1963, at age 19. His first game was against the Chicago White Sox, and he allowed one earned run on seven hits. He also picked off two baserunners and hit a home run, which was the only home run of his major league career. McLain is one of only six teenage pitchers to hit a major league home run since 1920. This group includes Hall of Fame players Don Drysdale and Jim Palmer.

McLain began the 1964 season with the Syracuse Chiefs in the International League but was called back to the majors in early June. He finished the season with a 4–5 record. He later played for the Mayagüez Indians in the Puerto Rico Baseball League, where he had a 13–2 record and helped the team win the league championship. He returned to the majors in 1965 and continued to pitch well for the Tigers. On June 15, McLain set a major league record for relief pitchers by striking out the first seven batters he faced after entering the game in the first inning. He ended the season with a 16–6 record, a 2.61 earned run average, and 192 strikeouts, the third-highest total in the American League. He relied mostly on his fastball, even though he also had a curveball and a changeup.

In 1966, McLain had a 13–4 mid-season record and earned a spot as a starting pitcher in the 1966 All-Star Game. He retired all nine batters he faced in the game, using only 28 pitches. He finished the season with a 20–14 record and a 3.92 earned run average.

In 1967, the Tigers hired Johnny Sain, a former major league pitcher, as their pitching coach. Sain helped improve McLain’s skills and taught him about the mental side of pitching. The 1967 season was notable because the Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, and Chicago White Sox were all competing closely for the American League pennant. McLain had a 17–16 record and a 3.79 earned run average but did not win any games after August 29. On September 18, he reported that he had severely injured two toes on his left foot, which he said happened when his foot fell asleep. The Tigers needed a win in their final game of the season to force a one-game playoff with the Red Sox for the pennant. McLain pitched poorly in that game, and the Tigers lost, finishing one game behind the Red Sox.

Ten games into the 1968 season, the Tigers were in first place after winning nine games in a row. McLain made controversial comments in early May, saying Detroit fans were “the biggest front-running fans in the world.” He continued to win games at a fast pace, reaching his 29th victory on September 10. On September 13, he appeared on the cover of Time magazine. On September 14, he pitched the Tigers to a 5–4 victory over the Oakland Athletics at Tiger Stadium. This game was broadcast nationally, and McLain became the first major league pitcher since 1934 to win 30 games in a season. Dizzy Dean, the previous 30-game winner, was present to congratulate him.

After the Tigers won the 1968 American League pennant, McLain gained attention during his 31st and final regular season victory against the Yankees on September 19. He had grown up admiring Mickey Mantle, a New York Yankee center fielder who was close to becoming the third player in major league history to hit 500 home runs. When Mantle came to bat in the eighth inning with the Tigers leading 6–1, McLain intentionally threw a soft pitch directly over home plate. Some accounts said he told the catcher to tell Mantle he would only throw fastballs. Mantle hit the pitch for his 535th career home run, putting him alone in third place on the all-time home run list. After the home run, McLain stayed on the pitcher’s mound and acknowledged the moment, while Mantle acknowledged him as he rounded the bases. The next batter, Joe Pepitone, waved his bat over the plate, as if asking for an easy pitch. McLain responded by throwing the next pitch over Pepitone’s head. After the game, McLain denied that he had given Mantle an easy pitch, but he was later reprimanded by Major League Baseball Commissioner William Eckert.

McLain finished the season with a 31–6 record and a 1.96 earned run average, as the Tigers won the American League pennant by 12 games. He had 280 strikeouts and 63 walks, giving him

Music career

Denny McLain's achievements in baseball led to sponsorship deals with the Hammond Organ Company. He performed music in Las Vegas and was invited to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show with his four-member group. He joined Bob Gibson, his World Series opponent and a guitarist, during this appearance. McLain also performed on The Steve Allen Show and The Joey Bishop Show. He recorded two albums for Capitol Records: Denny McLain at the Organ (1968) and Denny McLain in Las Vegas (1969).

Career statistics

During his 10-year career in Major League Baseball, McLain won 131 games and lost 91. His career earned run average was 3.39, and he recorded 1,282 strikeouts while pitching 1,886 innings. McLain was selected to the All-Star team three times and won the Cy Young Award twice. Because he depended mostly on his fastball, he allowed many home runs, leading the American League in home runs given up for three years in a row (1966–1968).

Since McLain’s season in which he won 31 games, only two other pitchers have come close to winning 30 games (Steve Carlton won 27 games in 1972, and Bob Welch also won 27 games in 1990). As Major League Baseball teams changed from using a four-pitcher rotation during McLain’s time to a five-pitcher rotation, and as teams now use more relief pitchers, some people think another pitcher may not win 30 games because the game is played differently today.

Post-major league career

In 1974, McLain played for the London Majors in the Intercounty Baseball League at Labatt Memorial Park in London, Ontario. Due to arm injuries, McLain only pitched nine innings for the team. However, he played in 14 games as a shortstop, first baseman, or catcher and had a batting average of .380. He also hit two home runs in a single game in London.

McLain earned extra income by playing the organ at clubs, including one in suburban Detroit where former boxing champion Leon Spinks worked as a bartender. He also made money by playing golf, often attracting people who wanted to tip him because of his baseball fame. He once reportedly accepted over $160,000 to help a wanted criminal leave the country.

During his time away from baseball, McLain’s weight increased to 330 pounds (150 kg). He was later imprisoned for drug trafficking, embezzlement, and racketeering. Tampa attorneys Arnold Levine and Stevan Northcutt, who later became a Florida judge, represented him in court. His conviction was overturned in a federal court in Florida under a law called the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Between the 1980s and early 1990s, while in and out of prison and rehabilitation, McLain appeared on sports talk radio shows and television programs in Detroit. He also modeled Hanes underwear and signed autographs at a 7-Eleven store in Sterling Heights, Michigan, where he worked on work-release. After his release, he hosted a daily radio show on Detroit station WXYT.

McLain’s oldest daughter, Kristin, who was 26 years old, died in a car crash caused by drunk driving on March 20, 1992. She was moving back to Michigan from Florida when the accident happened near her parents’ home. To cope with his grief, McLain and others bought a company called Peet Packing Company in Chesaning, Michigan, in 1994. He was also a partner in the Michigan Radio Network. Both businesses failed two years later. In 1996, McLain was convicted of embezzlement, mail fraud, and conspiracy for stealing $2.5 million from a pension fund. He spent six years in prison and later claimed he was unaware of the financial issues.

During the Detroit Tigers’ 2006 playoff season, McLain worked as a baseball analyst on a radio show in Detroit. In 2007, he wrote an autobiography titled I Told You I Wasn’t Perfect, co-authored by Eli Zaret, a longtime Detroit sportscaster. Earlier, he and Zaret had hosted a sports television show together.

McLain currently lives in Pinckney, Michigan. He writes a monthly column and blogs for In Play! Magazine, a Detroit sports publication.

In the 2005 movie The Upside of Anger, Kevin Costner’s character was partly inspired by McLain, as well as by another famous baseball player, Kirk Gibson.

On April 11, 2008, McLain was arrested after police found an outstanding warrant for his failure to appear in court in January 2008.

On September 22, 2011, McLain was arrested at the Canada–U.S. border in Port Huron, Michigan, after officials found an outstanding warrant from Louisiana. He had taken a wrong exit due to road construction, which led him to cross into Canada. He returned to the U.S. and was jailed briefly before the warrant was resolved and he was released.

From 2017 to 2018, McLain hosted a Sunday radio show about life and politics on WFDF (AM).

In January 2019, McLain and former sportscasters Eli Zaret and Bob Page started a podcast called No Filter Sports.

In October 2020, McLain held an estate sale hosted by Aaron’s Estate Sales. This event was reported by national media, including ESPN and the Associated Press.