This week we offer a two-fer:
The first question comes from friend, current Lounge guest, and Suffolk law prof, Jeff Lipshaw:
On September 14, 1968, Denny McLain won his 30th game for the Detroit Tigers, becoming the only pitcher to do so since Dizzy Dean's similar feat in 1938. Al Kaline, Mickey Stanley, and Willie Horton combined to get McLain his victory with a come-from-behind rally in the bottom of the ninth inning, but what future superstar hit two home runs off McLain that day to make the rally necessary?
And I'll piggyback off of Jeff's question and ask:
As Jeff mentions, Denny McLain was the last pitcher to win 30 or more games in a season, going 31-6 in 1968. Name the three pitchers who have come closest to the magical 30-win mark since 1968.
Pictured: Denny McLain, card #40 in the 1968 Topps set. This card was part of my boyhood collection that somehow disappeared over the years. Jeff, was it in your boyhood collection, too?
Bob Welch (1990) and Steve Carlton (1972) both won 27. Juan Marichal won 26 in 1968 (same year McLain won 31). Then a whole bunch of people have won 25. Is there someone else in the "big 3" you were looking for?
You're correct, Howard. The third-place tie is among Lolich, Hunter, Jenkins, Guidry, and Stone (each with 25).
Will we see a 30-game winner in our lifetime? I'm guessing no.
Tim, didn't Ron Guidry win 27 with the Yankees in the late 70's? Fred Gedicks
Fred, Ron Guidry's best year was 1978, when he captured the Cy Young award for going 25-3 with an ERA of 1.78.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/guidrro01.shtml
That may be the best "winning percentage" for a 20-game winner in … forever?
The superstar who hit the home runs is Reggie Jackson. (Tim, you are revealing –or is it reveling in–your youth when you ask "Will we see a 30-game winner in our lifetime?" — some of us actually did! But I doubt we'll see another; McLain had, I think, at least 40 starts that year.)
A slip of the tongue, David, as I'm old enough to remember the 1968 series. McLain may have won 31 that year, but it was Mickey Lolich who broke my heart.
Tim: No way. A top starter now gets 33-35 starts a year. And the greater role for bullpens means starters have fewer no-decisions than in the past. I suppose if some team went to a 4-man rotation and a pitcher got very lucky with his bullpen it could happen. But I'm not counting on it.