i was at that game. No film of it at all. A small crowd was there and we saw what was going on. When Denny served it for him he lined it straight into the upper deck in right. The seats were empty an usher tossed the ball down on the field and a Tiger tossed to the Yankee dugout. Willie Horton hit a massive homer in that went straight on a line to left against the wind near the flag pole.
My favorite homer(s) were both my Senators slugger Frank Howard, both in consecutive at-bats. Howard was on a rampage at the wrong time for us Tiger fans. He hit like 12 home runs in an 8 game stretch.Ted Williams was his manager, and was a great help to Howards batting problems. Nobody hit tape measure shots in that era like Howard, who looked like he was gonna park one in every at-bat. The first cleared the bleecher area. You could tell by the crack of the bat. Ernie Harwell was calling the game, as usual. The second cleared the left field roof, and as soon as you heard the crack of the bat that time, Harwell exclaimed "There she goes again!!"
my father, my older brother, my cousin and i were sitting in the stands in left center field when that triple play happened ~ i remember it ~ i couldn't believe it!
Brings back the memories of those Tigers; i remember well the last game of the World Series against the Cards, when Northrup hit a ball to center over Curt Flood's head, and Tigers coming back from down 3-1 in the series; Mclain 's great at telling stories.
I see a lot of comments here saying he only had a four season career. It's actually five, 1965 - 1969. He totaled 108 wins for a 21.6 win/season average. Pretty great for five years. I don't condone the bad stuff he got into, Very disappointing. But during that five year stretch, I had no idea what would come down the pike later. I only knew that as a teenager heavily into organized baseball, he had a huge effect on my own pitching mechanics. Emulating that high, straight leg kick was a part of what turned me into an all-star pitcher. As saddened as I was by what he later got into, I still can't help but look back and recall vividly fond memories of watching him, appreciating his greatness for that five year window and patterning my own delivery after him.
He was darn good in that stretch . I'd love to know the real story on his broken toe in1967. Rumors say he met up with some mafia bookies he owed and one stomped on his foot near Topinkas Country House in Detroit. McLain claims he was asleep at home heard a noise outside tried to get up his leg was asleep he stumbled and broke it. Either way it likely cost the Tigers the 1967 pennant he was 17-16 that year and totally ineffective down the stretch due to that toe.
Absolutely, 100+ wins in just five seasons.. with two Cy Young awards. He was well on his way to a Hall Of Fame career. But he was his own worst enemy.. and couldn't get out of his own way. That's too bad.
I WAS THERE when Denny McClain won his 30th! I had a great seat.... Between home plate and 3rd base... About 15 rows up... I remember the game like yesterday... It was all tied up at the bottom of the 9th... The manager pulled McClain out from his turn at bats and subbed in a pinch hitter who got on base... We had runners on 1st and 3rd... 2 outs... and Willie Horton comes to bat... If the Tigers don't score it goes to extra innings and McClain loses his chance to win his 30th victory of the season... The Oakland A's pulled in their outfielders so that if there was a line drive base hit they'd have a chance at cutting the runner down at the plate... Willie Horton then hits the ball over the left fielder for the game winning hit (which would have been an 'out' if they outfielders had not been pulled in... bad defensive play... and WE WON and Denny McLain won his 30th!
Priceless? "I wanted to hit em and knock em down. I threw a pitch and broke his hand (he was out for the season !!). I hated the son-of-a-bitch"......Yeah priced-less.
He signed a ball for me that said he did it on purpose, also wrote that if you don't agree 'to hell with you'..Spent a afternoon with him at a card show ,my friend was his handler that day
I was at the game that Denny talks about the triple play. I got a good look at it as I was sitting in the lower deck by 3rd base. I believe it was McLain's 27th win that game.
Wow! Thirty wins back in '68 He was so unhittable that year that MLB lowered the mound six inches the following season. It has been that way since. There are the great chuckers of all time; and then there's Denny McClain, looking down at all of them. He had great, accurate heater, a curve ball like Nolan Ryan's and a sick change up. . A deadly combination of pitches.
and sadly baseball has never been the same since then...and the pitch count bs has ruined it. Fans will never see a Warren Spahn Vs Juan Marichal 16 inning pitching duel again or a Harvey Haddix losing his no-hitter in the 12 inning. There will never be another 30 game winner.
Incredibly, a year after this taping, Denny had gastric bypass surgery and lost nearly 200 pounds!!..he damn near died around the time of this taping....good job Denny...and yes, there will never be another 30 game winner in professional baseball....NOT EVER
+Will Drucker Not with 5-man rotations and pitch counts. In those days teams used 4-man rotations and if a pitcher was getting the opposition out, he stayed in the game! Even if it took him 150 pitches to wrap things up!
baseball would have to return to a 4-man rotation. As recently as 1990 with a 5-man rotation Bob Welch won 27, Justin Verlander won 24 in 2011. With a bit more luck it could have happened both times. To me the greatest season pitching performance was Steve Carlton going 27-10 for the 1972 Philadelphia Phillies for a team that was 59-97.
I know I'm chiming in 7 years later, but there COULD be another 30 game winner, if the conditions are right. The late Bob Welch showed that, pitching for the A's in 1990. He won 27 games, and with not only in a 5-man rotation, also he only had 2 complete games, (and 2 shutouts), and allowed 26 home runs! The one thing preventing it is how they nurture pitchers today, even more so than when Welch played. But stranger things have happened. My great hope is that if McLain ever lives to see it, that he will heartily congratulate that pitcher the same way Dizzy Dean congratulated him in '68.
I lived in Livonia in 1968. Saw the Tigers probably 15 times that year. I saw Mantle's 535 HR, was there the night they won the pennant. I got a piece of turf from around 2nd base (my hero was Dick McAuliffe). We didn't get home until 3:00 am after that game! Wonderful stuff for a 9 year old little league 2nd baseman. I would give anything for 1 more of those steam bun hotdogs.
I don't think i have ever seen anyone battle and foul off more pitches than Dick Mcauliffe . 68 Tigers Wow . They all hold a place in my heart , But Storman Norman was my favorite .
Carl Yaz hit 36 dingers at the Stadium in his career! One which tied a game in 67 in the ninth inning; Later, Dalton Jones won the game and really the pennant for the Sox as they won by just one game!
What a magical season that was. In Flint, everything was Go Tigers. Coca Cola had a bottle cap promotion. Each cap had a different player..fill up a sheet, and get a baseball with all the Tigers autograph's, (not real of course). I got like 5 baseballs, wish I still had them. For me, that was the end of an era, as the next year they went to the play off system.
@@robertthacher I also remember the 1967 season, and how the Tigers, (and the Twins), lost it on the last day of the season. It went right down to the wire.....I will never forget how wonderful Tiger baseball was in 1968, and I got to live it.
@@robertthacher I followed Yaz and his Triple crown year in '67. That was pretty exciting. Still hard to believe he won the batting crown in 1968 with a .301...."but it was "The Year of the Pitcher"
And of all years, I was in the Republic of Vietnam. I was drafted in August of 1967 and sent to Vietnam in May of 1968. I was in a Vietnam field hospital for a fortnight in October and watched my beloved Tigers on delayed tape. I was in bad shape. TEAGARDS...
I was at that game in 68 when Powell hit into that triple play:)) Was in my fave spot...upper deck, center field bleachers, square with the mound and home plate:) Remember it like it was ystrdy:)
I remember as a kid , The papers read Boog bombs one but Denny wins . Dont remember the year but it was after 68 . I think Powell might have hit it out of Tiger stadium that day .
I saw him strike out 3 batters on 9 pitches and the batters couldn't even foul off the ball, 123 yer out! 123 yer out! , 123 yer out! I have never seen a pitcher do that again! The perfect inning!......
Sorry to call you out on this, but unless this happened in Spring Training or something, this never happened. Research ‘Immaculate Inning’ for pitchers who have accomplished this feat.
@@bruceanderson77 I'm not trying to convince you nor do I care that you don't believe it....it happened and I saw it. Every pitch of every inning of every game in the history of baseball is not recorded some stats have been missed. I would think that the best way to find out of this feat is contact the Detroit Tiger Organization and ask them. McClain accomplished this feat in the 1968 season on his way to winning 31 games that year and the Tiger winning the World Series. I couldn't tell you what team but it was during the season and it was on live T.V. game of the week which was on a Saturday, I have never forgotten it.
Have always liked Denny....remember those couple of Big seasons and the world champion Tigers.... and at Washington, then Oakland...he was also at double A Birmingham prior to joining the Atlanta Braves at the close of his carrer... thank you, BCM'
OMG beautiful memories. I miss the game in those years. Today's game, not sure who is doped up or not. Players who look like linebackers. What is it with the pants? Some players look like a real joke out there. Dunno, maybe the new generation. I find the 1994 strike changed everything.
The 1994 strike is when I knew baseball was over. The 98 home run race brought back some magic, but then we found out about the roids. It has been about money and roids ever since. So sad and uninteresting.
I watched the ‘68 Series on tv between the Tigers and the Cardinals. It was a classic, Tigers 4 games to 3. McClain had a nondescript Series but Mickey Lolich was the hero with 3 complete game wins.
So let me get this straight. McLain admits he intentionally threw at Boog Powell and broke his hand which ended his season, because he hated him. Then he follows up by admitting he grooved a pitch to Mantle just so Mantle could hit a home run. Does anyone else have a problem with those 2 stories? Baseball doesn't need beanballs and it would be nice to think that the game is being played on the up and up between 2 competitors without one side intentionally giving in to the other.
I agree McLain doesn't have the stats for the HOF, but that didn't prevent Don Larsen from being on the ballot for 15 years for having one good GAME. But then, according to their fans, every Yankee should be in the Hall.
Tysons Accosta definitely did...he wasn't the same in the world series that year because of that 31 game season. Cards were very concerned @ Lolich because McLain was pitched out . He still won one w.s. game though....Lolich won 3 ... and beat the great Bob Gibson in game 7 ..and hit an h.r. off Gibson
The 535 Homer did not go to center. Mantle pulled it to right. In the upper deck and for folks that don't know Center field at Tiger Stadium was 400 feet from home plate so a 390 feet fly ball is an out. I was at that game ( Honest ) We had rain checks for an earlier night game rained out. My Dad let us go since it was likely the last time Mantle would be at Tiger Stadium. A shame there's no video of that home run
Fuzzy memories regarding Boog Powell. In 1968, Powell was 4-for-20 with 4 RBI against McLain, three of those coming on a 3-R HR. And he never hit Powell & broke his hand either; Powell played the whole season. Go to Baseball Reference to look all this up. I did. OTOH, three of McLain's six losses that year were to the Orioles.
generalbullmoose thanks for the research and clarification. How strange for Denny to say that he deliberately hit Boog and broke his hand. Not only would that be dirty, but Denny didn’t do it! Ah, Denny.
Boog was never bother by the boo birds...he was use to hearing them yell booooog everytime he came to bat so he could not tell the difference. One of the all-time Oriole greats and very under-rated first baseball for his era.
Absolutely .Look at 1968 and how pitchers dominated. Gibson 1.12 ERA Don Drysdale 58 plus shutout innings McClain 31 wins and Carl Yazstremski won the AL batting title with a .301 average the only hitter in the AL hit over .300 that season
As to McClain so-call story about ending Boog Powell's 1968 season. Well Powell played in 154 games that year and had 634 plate appearances. He played in more than 150 games each of the next three seasons. In 1966, Boog broke his finger but still continue to play and was named the Comeback Player of the year. In 1970 he was the American League Most Valuable Player. Boog is still alive and operates a BBQ stand in Baltimore near Oriole Park or Camden Yards.
@MAN UTD Yea, you keep repeating yourself. "Soccer is massive in over 240 countries" because most of those countries are dirt poor, and all you need is a ball and a field. Baseball requires everyone to be able to afford their own glove, spikes, bats, baseballs, uniforms, catchers require special equipment, you need a manicured field with a raised pitcher's mound with a rubber for the pitcher to push off of and a home plate installed, plus bases. In other words, you need countries with a standard of living and disposable income beyond worrying about having food, shelter and clothing.
@@karenrose3641 Wrong..when baseball was the #1 sport on America, as it was for decades, kids didn't need all that stuff. They played sandlot ball in any vacant lot they could find, with a bat (or a stick), a ball, and maybe a glove, or not. We played in the turnaround at the end of the street with whatever we had..
Leonard Taylor Willie Horton bounced one off the top score boards out past up and over deep central field. Even Kurt Goudy said it was as the hardest hit he ever saw. If it hadn’t hit that score board how far would it have gone. It was 600ft when it bounced back. I just walked in and we had seats on the 2nd deck over third base line and here comes a foul ball, I thought it was Brooks but it had to have been a left handed batter on the Orioles team. Wonder who? Who was the other Robinson that played right field in the 60s.
@@robertthacher Watched the entire year and remember his groove to the Mick & him losing his cool & telling a sportscaster to call him Denny, Dennis or Mr. McLain after W #30!
excidedous you were not even Alive then ya Jackhole,Owner Leo Fetzer Knew about all the Gambling And shit when he Got Denny from the White Sox in Late 67..Denny is a far Better person than Pete Rose..Sure as shit.
John Hintz That's about all you have to say in his defense? I'm not surprised coming from someone like you who didn't know what the fuck they were talking about to begin with.
Denny had an incredible 68 season but with the exception of his 3rd start got pretty much hammered in the WS. With the exception of Earl Wilson in game 3 Lolich and McClain started every other game - 3 each. Never realized he was such a funny guy - had me laughing my ass off.
I saw game four a rainy cold dreary day. McLain was shelled bigtime Detroit lost 10-1 After game five at Tiger Stadium nobody knew what Mayo Smith was going to do for game six. Some were joking start Mickey Stanley! Mclain got a cortisone shot and pitched well in game six helped by a 10 run inning. Then Mickey won it one two days rest in game seven
Yep - I remember it well. To this day that is the most satisfying championship of ANY of my sports teams(I’m a Vikings fan so they have ZERO). The 1984 season was good too but they were totally expected to win the WS after the ridiculous 35-5 start that got off too - and were in 1st place the ENTIRE season. But the 68 Tigers were underdogs to the 67 Cardinals - with the incredible Bob Gibson - who was unstoppable in the 67 series and the first 2 games of the 68 series - where he struck out 17 Tigers in the first game. To come back from a 3-1 deficit was incredible.
You guys stole Earl Wilson from my Red Sox just as he was coming into his own. I checked 67 and his stats equal Jim Lonborgs. It hurts to think if we had both of them
Mr Mclain made some poor choices while he was still playing baseball in the final parts of his career after the 1969 season, his last winning one. He was indefinitely suspended in 1970 for his bookmaking activities, and has already began his associations with organized crime figures, one of whom broke his foot in 1967 when he could not pay off a gambling debt he owed. After he was reinstated he was suspended again for carry a gun on a team flight. In 1970 he was also forced to file for bankruptcy because of his gambling habit. At the time he was among the highest paid players in baseball. His suspension took a toll on his baseball abilities as he lost his fastball and his penchant for giving up homeruns worsen. When he was with the Senators he feuded with manager Ted Williams and organized a group of five players to get creepy Bob Short to fired the Great HOFer. His after career activies are a sad legacy for the last of the 30 games winners and cast a dark shadow on his baseball legacy which could have landed him in the Hall of Fame.
Mickey Lolich was an unsung hero in 1968. Denny got all the glory because of his wins but Lolich was the hero against the Cardinals that year and he went up against one of the best in the business, Bob Gibson!
bitter sweet with McLainhe won over 20 in 66..31 in 68..24 in 69...but that was his career....outside of Baseball h was a crook....shame..He was a hero in 68 tho
And 17 in 67 ,nobody will ever win 92 games in 4 years ever again, inning total got him 336 in 68 not including series 325 in 69 28 complete games in 68 and 25 in 69. He would have won 32 but Mayo pulled him out of a game at the end of the year he was winning after 7 innings and Don McMahon gave up a homer to lose it
He wasn't worthless for quite a few years there and he won 31 games in 68. One things for sure if they keep middle relievers NOBODy will ever win 30 games again!!
no one is flawless few are great, but in 1968 denny was the best and no way no how will a pitcher ever win 30 games again, judge him if you must what ever wrong he did is forgiveable,
He basically had a 4 season career. That's NOT HOF caliber and shouldn't be. I would argue that Gibson and yes, Lolich were equal or better pitchers for far longer.
He was hardly the best pitcher of the 1960's. He only won 131 games in the 10 years he played. He had two great years and four, maybe five good ones. Drysdale, Milt Pappas, Sandy Koufax, Lolich all won more games.
wongleebruce Really? How does that work? You want to see pitchers hit and then waddle around the bases with their jackets on? Because the double switch is so much more interesting than watching David Ortiz was?
I lived in the Detroit burbs from about 1960-1965 and was a hometown fan for sure. Really was happy about ‘68 and thrilled that Kaline got his ring. Before the Tigers, I was (and continued to be) a Milwaukee Braves fan. I’m reading Henry Aaron’s bio now and unlike people who applaud McClain grooving one to Mantle, Al Downing was berated for giving up 715 to Hank. Black pitcher had to have made sure another black man succeeded. No pitcher wanted to be remembered as that guy. Jack Bellingham was furious he gave up 714. The racism that black ballplayers had to endure was beyond the comprehension to most of us white folks.
Denny burned out his arm from pitching so many innings.
6 лет назад
That happened to a lot of pitchers back then. That's why they have pitch-counts now. FWIW- Lolich pitched more innings for far longer and never had ANY arm problems except infrequent tiredness ("deadarm"). He was experiencing that in Game7 of the '68 WS and pitched a complete-game win anyway!
McLain did not burn his arm out for pitching so many innings that was expected of great starting pitchers in his day. He burned his arm out from his many suspension starting in 1970. McLain had won 24 games in 1969, but he got involved in bookmaking for organized crime. The stories were widely reported at the time in SI and Penthouse magazine. He missed most of the 1970 season. The Tiger got fed up with his criminal activities and traded him to the Senators. The Comish widely criticized the trade and said the Senators came out on the sorry end of the deal, and suspended Mclain again. When he joined his new team, he took a dislike to manager Ted Williams and fueded with him. His fast ball wasn't fast anymore due to his inactivities.
Funny thing, there's a RUclips clip with Mickey Mantle describing the "gift" home run ball that Denny served up to him - only he says that Freehan was catching, not Price. ruclips.net/video/qdl6ABq6E3w/видео.html I think Denny probably remembers it better.
+rowdymax1 Soda is good for you, particularly if you drink diet soda. In 1968 would McClain have consumed a diet alternative. I do recall that Tab tasted awful.
Randy Bailin I’m not or never have been a Tigers fan but especially backs that era I followed baseball very closely. It would be nice when someone (like you) make a claim such as this you provide a bit of information on the subject to back up your claim. I’ve heard dozens of accusations of ball players over the years many true, (such as the steroids issue) many more false rumors.
'68 was the 2nd world series I watched. Detroit was incredible that year.
Denny was one HELL of a pitcher back in the day. The leg kick was just nothing short of classic.
For a few years, he was.
@MAN UTD Soccer is a gentleman's game played by hooligans.
That SOB went high when he kicked it. He brought all that power down after that kick.
@M But, soccer is deadly dull. Not even close to BB!
The Mickey Mantle home run story by McLain is one for the ages. The Mick was my hero, so I like what McLain did.
i was at that game. No film of it at all. A small crowd was there and we saw what was going on. When Denny served it for him he lined it straight into the upper deck in right. The seats were empty an usher tossed the ball down on the field and a Tiger tossed to the Yankee dugout. Willie Horton hit a massive homer in that went straight on a line to left against the wind near the flag pole.
@@ericw3229 My favorite Tiger Stadium was a home run hit by Dalton Jones of the Red Sox in 1967!
My favorite homer(s) were both my Senators slugger Frank Howard, both in consecutive at-bats. Howard was on a rampage at the wrong time for us Tiger fans. He hit like 12 home runs in an 8 game stretch.Ted Williams was his manager, and was a great help to Howards batting problems. Nobody hit tape measure shots in that era like Howard, who looked like he was gonna park one in every at-bat. The first cleared the bleecher area. You could tell by the crack of the bat. Ernie Harwell was calling the game, as usual. The second cleared the left field roof, and as soon as you heard the crack of the bat that time, Harwell exclaimed "There she goes again!!"
Frank Howard hit a tiger stadium roof ball., Ted Williams was his manager
my father, my older brother, my cousin and i were sitting in the stands in left center field when that triple play happened ~ i remember it ~ i couldn't believe it!
Brings back the memories of those Tigers; i remember well the last game of the World Series against the Cards, when Northrup hit a ball to center over Curt Flood's head, and Tigers coming back from down 3-1 in the series; Mclain 's great at telling stories.
DMR4736 Yeah a master Irish ☘️ bullshitter all right.
Denny pitched a huge complete game W in the 5th or 6th game. The first game he ran into Bob Gibson and 17 strikeouts!
The pitcher that Cards fans remember is Mickey Lolich. Cards fan from St. Louis
Mickey was a great clutch pitcher as this Boston fan remembers!
I see a lot of comments here saying he only had a four season career. It's actually five, 1965 - 1969. He totaled 108 wins for a 21.6 win/season average. Pretty great for five years. I don't condone the bad stuff he got into, Very disappointing. But during that five year stretch, I had no idea what would come down the pike later. I only knew that as a teenager heavily into organized baseball, he had a huge effect on my own pitching mechanics. Emulating that high, straight leg kick was a part of what turned me into an all-star pitcher. As saddened as I was by what he later got into, I still can't help but look back and recall vividly fond memories of watching him, appreciating his greatness for that five year window and patterning my own delivery after him.
He was darn good in that stretch . I'd love to know the real story on his broken toe in1967. Rumors say he met up with some mafia bookies he owed and one stomped on his foot near Topinkas Country House in Detroit. McLain claims he was asleep at home heard a noise outside tried to get up his leg was asleep he stumbled and broke it. Either way it likely cost the Tigers the 1967 pennant he was 17-16 that year and totally ineffective down the stretch due to that toe.
They stole him from the White Sox along with Norm Cash!
Absolutely, 100+ wins in just five seasons.. with two Cy Young awards. He was well on his way to a Hall Of Fame career. But he was his own worst enemy.. and couldn't get out of his own way. That's too bad.
Denny started the '66 All Star Game with 3 perfect innings and won 24 and the Cy Young again in '69. Awesome.
He had a great 65 season, if I remember right!
Denny McLain was one of a kind.
I WAS THERE when Denny McClain won his 30th! I had a great seat.... Between home plate and 3rd base... About 15 rows up... I remember the game like yesterday... It was all tied up at the bottom of the 9th... The manager pulled McClain out from his turn at bats and subbed in a pinch hitter who got on base... We had runners on 1st and 3rd... 2 outs... and Willie Horton comes to bat... If the Tigers don't score it goes to extra innings and McClain loses his chance to win his 30th victory of the season... The Oakland A's pulled in their outfielders so that if there was a line drive base hit they'd have a chance at cutting the runner down at the plate... Willie Horton then hits the ball over the left fielder for the game winning hit (which would have been an 'out' if they outfielders had not been pulled in... bad defensive play... and WE WON and Denny McLain won his 30th!
He was definitely one of a kind - and that is probably a good thing!
Drink another
lol
Happy 50th Denny!! Tiger fan for life!
Who could forget the 67 pennant race. The Tigers were in the thick of it till the end
Thank you for this PRICELESS piece of TIGER HISTORY!!!
Priceless?
"I wanted to hit em and knock em down. I threw a pitch and broke his hand (he was out for the season !!). I hated the son-of-a-bitch"......Yeah priced-less.
Joe Pepitone was next hitter after Mickey and he told Jim Price, tell Denny I want the same thing and Denny knocked him down with a fastball
gotta love Mclains Mickey Mantle story at end of that year
He signed a ball for me that said he did it on purpose, also wrote that if you don't agree 'to hell with you'..Spent a afternoon with him at a card show ,my friend was his handler that day
Cardinal fan here, 9 years old in 68, I will always love Denny.
Tiger fan here. I can't say the same thing about Gibson, but I guess the fact that he scared the hell out of me, in that series, says a lot.
I was 10 in 68. Big Tiger fan here, and I will always love Bob Gibson....
You must have had a broken heart at the outcome!
@@robertthacher Oh, yes. You always remember the ones who broke your heart. Thank goodness for '67.
@@pjeffries301 At 14, 67 was magnificent. If only we hadn't lost Tony C that August night!
I can not believe how many innings and games Denny Mclain pitched every year of his career ! Maybe every 3rd game in the early to late 60's !
He had a short career
I really enjoyed this post. Thanks.
I was at the game that Denny talks about the triple play. I got a good look at it as I was sitting in the lower deck by 3rd base. I believe it was McLain's 27th win that game.
McLain won the Cy Young Award again in 1969 in a tie with Mike Cuellar of Baltimore.
+NkrumahTure He looked good in a tie! LOL!
2 years later lost 22 for senators, his fastball was gone by then. Steve Carlton won 27 for last place Phillies and lost 20 the next year
I've always loved the MIckey's home run story
Yeah to groove one for the great Mickey Mantle , Wow .
😃Loved his mitt with 31 ⭐️💕❤️💕🐅s
Wow! Thirty wins back in '68 He was so unhittable that year that MLB lowered the mound six inches the following season. It has been that way since. There are the great chuckers of all time; and then there's Denny McClain, looking down at all of them. He had great, accurate heater, a curve ball like Nolan Ryan's and a sick change up. . A deadly combination of pitches.
and sadly baseball has never been the same since then...and the pitch count bs has ruined it. Fans will never see a Warren Spahn Vs Juan Marichal 16 inning pitching duel again or a Harvey Haddix losing his no-hitter in the 12 inning. There will never be another 30 game winner.
And a huge win n the 68 Series!
Incredibly, a year after this taping, Denny had gastric bypass surgery and lost nearly 200 pounds!!..he damn near died around the time of this taping....good job Denny...and yes, there will never be another 30 game winner in professional baseball....NOT EVER
+Will Drucker Not with 5-man rotations and pitch counts. In those days teams used 4-man rotations and if a pitcher was getting the opposition out, he stayed in the game! Even if it took him 150 pitches to wrap things up!
+Will Drucker Nobody would be allowed to pitch that much. The pitcher's agent would raise bloody hell.
baseball would have to return to a 4-man rotation.
As recently as 1990 with a 5-man rotation Bob Welch won 27, Justin Verlander won 24 in 2011. With a bit more luck it could have happened both times.
To me the greatest season pitching performance was Steve Carlton going 27-10 for the 1972 Philadelphia Phillies for a team that was 59-97.
I know I'm chiming in 7 years later, but there COULD be another 30 game winner, if the conditions are right.
The late Bob Welch showed that, pitching for the A's in 1990. He won 27 games, and with not only in a 5-man rotation, also he only had 2 complete games, (and 2 shutouts), and allowed 26 home runs! The one thing preventing it is how they nurture pitchers today, even more so than when Welch played.
But stranger things have happened. My great hope is that if McLain ever lives to see it, that he will heartily congratulate that pitcher the same way Dizzy Dean congratulated him in '68.
True. You rarely see a complete game anymore!
“Now I know we’re not dealing with a Rhodes Scholar.”
I read about that funny Mickey Mantle home run story some years back in the NY Post.
McLain was mY CHILDHOOD hero
I lived in Livonia in 1968. Saw the Tigers probably 15 times that year. I saw Mantle's 535 HR, was there the night they won the pennant. I got a piece of turf from around 2nd base (my hero was Dick McAuliffe). We didn't get home until 3:00 am after that game! Wonderful stuff for a 9 year old little league 2nd baseman. I would give anything for 1 more of those steam bun hotdogs.
I don't think i have ever seen anyone battle and foul off more pitches than Dick Mcauliffe . 68 Tigers Wow . They all hold a place in my heart , But Storman Norman was my favorite .
Carl Yaz hit 36 dingers at the Stadium in his career! One which tied a game in 67 in the ninth inning; Later, Dalton Jones won the game and really the pennant for the Sox as they won by just one game!
@@leonardtaylor6526 Dick was an all around good player. He could draw a walk and go deep! My Red Sox gave you Ben Oglivie for Dick in 73!
What a magical season that was. In Flint, everything was Go Tigers. Coca Cola had a bottle cap promotion. Each cap had a different player..fill up a sheet, and get a baseball with all the Tigers autograph's, (not real of course). I got like 5 baseballs, wish I still had them. For me, that was the end of an era, as the next year they went to the play off system.
This was the last real year before the playoffs. The Red Sox won the pennant the year before, and then the Tigers!
@@robertthacher I also remember the 1967 season, and how the Tigers, (and the Twins), lost it on the last day of the season. It went right down to the wire.....I will never forget how wonderful Tiger baseball was in 1968, and I got to live it.
@@dahur The 67 pennant could have gone to the Tigers, But Denny had a busted foot! Gambling debts!
@@dahur Red Sox baseball was like that for me in 67. I was just 14 and listened to every game with my grandfather! Yaz!!
@@robertthacher I followed Yaz and his Triple crown year in '67. That was pretty exciting. Still hard to believe he won the batting crown in 1968 with a .301...."but it was "The Year of the Pitcher"
And of all years, I was in the Republic of Vietnam. I was drafted in August of 1967 and sent to Vietnam in May of 1968. I was in a Vietnam field hospital for a fortnight in October and watched my beloved Tigers on delayed tape. I was in bad shape. TEAGARDS...
The city was thrilled when they won!
Thanks, vet.
You can tell Denny is a bit brash, but he is still likable...He calls it the way he saw it, and he is great to listen to!!!
Good times !!
Cheers !
Jim Perry gave you some wins back in the early 70's!
I was at that game in 68 when Powell hit into that triple play:)) Was in my fave spot...upper deck, center field bleachers, square with the mound and home plate:) Remember it like it was ystrdy:)
I remember as a kid , The papers read Boog bombs one but Denny wins . Dont remember the year but it was after 68 . I think Powell might have hit it out of Tiger stadium that day .
@@leonardtaylor6526 Denny won the Cy Young, tying Mike Cuellar in 69!
These were ball players
My dad and siblings saw Denny shut out the Orioles in Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium on July 27, 1968
I saw him strike out 3 batters on 9 pitches and the batters couldn't even foul off the ball, 123 yer out! 123 yer out! , 123 yer out!
I have never seen a pitcher do that again!
The perfect inning!......
Sorry to call you out on this, but unless this happened in Spring Training or something, this never happened. Research ‘Immaculate Inning’ for pitchers who have accomplished this feat.
@@bruceanderson77
I'm not trying to convince you nor do I care that you don't believe it....it happened and I saw it.
Every pitch of every inning of every game in the history of baseball is not recorded some stats have been missed.
I would think that the best way to find out of this feat is contact the Detroit Tiger Organization and ask them. McClain accomplished this feat in the 1968 season on his way to winning 31 games that year and the Tiger winning the World Series.
I couldn't tell you what team but it was during the season and it was on live T.V. game of the week which was on a Saturday, I have never forgotten it.
@@bruceanderson77 Did Koufax have one??
Love McClain's brashness and honesty....
Have always liked Denny....remember those couple of Big seasons and the world champion Tigers.... and at Washington, then Oakland...he was also at double A Birmingham prior to joining the Atlanta Braves at the close of his carrer... thank you, BCM'
I read that Denny was in debt to some gamblers in 67. Someone broke his foot. If Not, the Bengals would have won two in a row!
OMG beautiful memories. I miss the game in those years. Today's game, not sure who is doped up or not. Players who look like linebackers. What is it with the pants? Some players look like a real joke out there. Dunno, maybe the new generation. I find the 1994 strike changed everything.
The 1994 strike is when I knew baseball was over. The 98 home run race brought back some magic, but then we found out about the roids. It has been about money and roids ever since. So sad and uninteresting.
Ok boomer
They were drunk in those days. Many of them!
I watched the ‘68 Series on tv between the Tigers and the Cardinals. It was a classic, Tigers 4 games to 3. McClain had a nondescript Series but Mickey Lolich was the hero with 3 complete game wins.
No one will ever win 30 games in one season again!
So let me get this straight. McLain admits he intentionally threw at Boog Powell and broke his hand which ended his season, because he hated him. Then he follows up by admitting he grooved a pitch to Mantle just so Mantle could hit a home run. Does anyone else have a problem with those 2 stories? Baseball doesn't need beanballs and it would be nice to think that the game is being played on the up and up between 2 competitors without one side intentionally giving in to the other.
It was back in the days when guys were guys. Stuff happened. It was a lot more like real life then..
The difference being is McLain isn't being kept out of the HOF for being a jerk, he's being kept out for lack of numbers.
I agree......relishing in breaking Boog Powell's hand......and he hated that son-of-a-bitch too !
And wasn't great long enough, wasn't his fault that his arm gave out too soon.
Wonders if his 30 win season had anything to do with his arm troubles afterwards.
I agree McLain doesn't have the stats for the HOF, but that didn't prevent Don Larsen from being on the ballot for 15 years for having one good GAME. But then, according to their fans, every Yankee should be in the Hall.
Tysons Accosta definitely did...he wasn't the same in the world series that year because of that 31 game season. Cards were very concerned @ Lolich because McLain was pitched out . He still won one w.s. game though....Lolich won 3 ... and beat the great Bob Gibson in game 7 ..and hit an h.r. off Gibson
The 535 Homer did not go to center. Mantle pulled it to right. In the upper deck and for folks that don't know Center field at Tiger Stadium was 400 feet from home plate so a 390 feet fly ball is an out. I was at that game ( Honest ) We had rain checks for an earlier night game rained out. My Dad let us go since it was likely the last time Mantle would be at Tiger Stadium. A shame there's no video of that home run
Fuzzy memories regarding Boog Powell. In 1968, Powell was 4-for-20 with 4 RBI against McLain, three of those coming on a 3-R HR. And he never hit Powell & broke his hand either; Powell played the whole season. Go to Baseball Reference to look all this up. I did.
OTOH, three of McLain's six losses that year were to the Orioles.
generalbullmoose thanks for the research and clarification. How strange for Denny to say that he deliberately hit Boog and broke his hand. Not only would that be dirty, but Denny didn’t do it! Ah, Denny.
Boog was never bother by the boo birds...he was use to hearing them yell booooog everytime he came to bat so he could not tell the difference. One of the all-time Oriole greats and very under-rated first baseball for his era.
generalbullmoose McLain has always been full of shit as a Christmas goose.
His memory of "loving Mayo" was kind of fuzzy, too.
I believe it. Denny was nasty!
He is right about the height of the mounds.
Absolutely .Look at 1968 and how pitchers dominated. Gibson 1.12 ERA Don Drysdale 58 plus shutout innings McClain 31 wins and Carl Yazstremski won the AL batting title with a .301 average the only hitter in the AL hit over .300 that season
In 69 they raised the mound!
As to McClain so-call story about ending Boog Powell's 1968 season. Well Powell played in 154 games that year and had 634 plate appearances. He played in more than 150 games each of the next three seasons. In 1966, Boog broke his finger but still continue to play and was named the Comeback Player of the year. In 1970 he was the American League Most Valuable Player. Boog is still alive and operates a BBQ stand in Baltimore near Oriole Park or Camden Yards.
When baseball was the game.....
@MAN UTD 🙄 ?
@MAN UTD Yea, you keep repeating yourself. "Soccer is massive in over 240 countries" because most of those countries are dirt poor, and all you need is a ball and a field. Baseball requires everyone to be able to afford their own glove, spikes, bats, baseballs, uniforms, catchers require special equipment, you need a manicured field with a raised pitcher's mound with a rubber for the pitcher to push off of and a home plate installed, plus bases.
In other words, you need countries with a standard of living and disposable income beyond worrying about having food, shelter and clothing.
@@karenrose3641
Wrong..when baseball was the #1 sport on America, as it was for decades, kids didn't need all that stuff. They played sandlot ball in any vacant lot they could find, with a bat (or a stick), a ball, and maybe a glove, or not.
We played in the turnaround at the end of the street with whatever we had..
7:43 "390 feet straight away center field"
We aren't dealing with a Rhodes scholar here. Straight away center field at Tiger Stadium was 440 feet.
440 to straight center at Tiger Stadium!
I watched them all in Kansas City when i was a kid. Boug Powell Brooks Robinson Harman Kilibrew. Willie Horton hardest hit I've ever seen.
Willie was special . Harman could hit like heck , and Brooks wow what defense .
Leonard Taylor Willie Horton bounced one off the top score boards out past up and over deep central field. Even Kurt Goudy said it was as the hardest hit he ever saw. If it hadn’t hit that score board how far would it have gone. It was 600ft when it bounced back. I just walked in and we had seats on the 2nd deck over third base line and here comes a foul ball, I thought it was Brooks but it had to have been a left handed batter on the Orioles team. Wonder who? Who was the other Robinson that played right field in the 60s.
@@ronniebishop2496 Frank.
@@sheilamacdougal4874 Frank, that’s right and I remember thinking how young he looked.
@@ronniebishop2496 We all looked young once. 😉
Cannot compare games then and now,,,,impossible. But for starters, let's raise the mound and see what happens.👉⚾👈
Denny got heavy. Was a great pitcher for a few years.
When he got to Washington, he was done!
@@robertthacher No doubt & the #'s made it blare.
@@edwardanthony7283 31-6. a low ERA. Amazing!
@@robertthacher Watched the entire year and remember his groove to the Mick & him losing his cool & telling a sportscaster to call him Denny, Dennis or Mr. McLain after W #30!
@@edwardanthony7283 30 wins will never be seen again. Seeing Micks bomb must be amazing!
Denny Mclain- a real class act.
And who would know - the world is full of fucktards that think he's great. Your comment doesn't change anything.
No sorry, I'm nothing like you at all.
excidedous you were not even Alive then ya Jackhole,Owner Leo Fetzer Knew about all the Gambling And shit when he Got Denny from the White Sox in Late 67..Denny is a far Better person than Pete Rose..Sure as shit.
excidedous a troll and a tough guy ain't you?..
John Hintz
That's about all you have to say in his defense? I'm not surprised coming from someone like you who didn't know what the fuck they were talking about to begin with.
Denny had an incredible 68 season but with the exception of his 3rd start got pretty much hammered in the WS. With the exception of Earl Wilson in game 3 Lolich and McClain started every other game - 3 each. Never realized he was such a funny guy - had me laughing my ass off.
I saw game four a rainy cold dreary day. McLain was shelled bigtime Detroit lost 10-1 After game five at Tiger Stadium nobody knew what Mayo Smith was going to do for game six. Some were joking start Mickey Stanley! Mclain got a cortisone shot and pitched well in game six helped by a 10 run inning. Then Mickey won it one two days rest in game seven
Yep - I remember it well. To this day that is the most satisfying championship of ANY of my sports teams(I’m a Vikings fan so they have ZERO). The 1984 season was good too but they were totally expected to win the WS after the ridiculous 35-5 start that got off too - and were in 1st place the ENTIRE season. But the 68 Tigers were underdogs to the 67 Cardinals - with the incredible Bob Gibson - who was unstoppable in the 67 series and the first 2 games of the 68 series - where he struck out 17 Tigers in the first game. To come back from a 3-1 deficit was incredible.
You guys stole Earl Wilson from my Red Sox just as he was coming into his own. I checked 67 and his stats equal Jim Lonborgs. It hurts to think if we had both of them
Boy, how thin he was but I do remember his 30th win as I watched the entire game.. He also gave up Mantle's final homer too..
I watched it too ,headline was Dobson goes for 10 th win ,sarcastically. Chuck Dobson not our Pat
@@lloydclaussen226 Pat won 21 in 71 for the Birds!
he's going to be the last 30 game winner forever.the whole strategy has changed,and now relief pitchers can make 10 million a year.
One of those people who I'm sure would just like a complete do-over on his career, if not life.
The Maestro
He couldn't be more right, they need to elevate the mound.
After his baseball career, he made some poor choices in his personal life.
Mr Mclain made some poor choices while he was still playing baseball in the final parts of his career after the 1969 season, his last winning one. He was indefinitely suspended in 1970 for his bookmaking activities, and has already began his associations with organized crime figures, one of whom broke his foot in 1967 when he could not pay off a gambling debt he owed. After he was reinstated he was suspended again for carry a gun on a team flight. In 1970 he was also forced to file for bankruptcy because of his gambling habit. At the time he was among the highest paid players in baseball. His suspension took a toll on his baseball abilities as he lost his fastball and his penchant for giving up homeruns worsen. When he was with the Senators he feuded with manager Ted Williams and organized a group of five players to get creepy Bob Short to fired the Great HOFer. His after career activies are a sad legacy for the last of the 30 games winners and cast a dark shadow on his baseball legacy which could have landed him in the Hall of Fame.
not to mention destroying working peoples jobs ... anyone remember Farmer Peets? every person I know that worked there ... hates his guts
Home Plate umpire for the Mantle game was Russ Goetz, not Emmett Ashford.
+generalbullmoose Stickler!
Family.
30 wins? Denny kicked ass in 1968..
The Orioles could beat Mclain but they could never beat Lolich.
Mickey Lolich was an unsung hero in 1968. Denny got all the glory because of his wins but Lolich was the hero against the Cardinals that year and he went up against one of the best in the business, Bob Gibson!
I'd have to check the record but that sounds familiar. I think the O's did have a rough time with Lolich.
3 of denny’s 6 loses were at the hands of the orioles
@@zorro1955
I followed the Tigers whole season, and that interesting bit of trivia escaped me.
Neither could my Red Sox!
bitter sweet with McLainhe won over 20 in 66..31 in 68..24 in 69...but that was his career....outside of Baseball h was a crook....shame..He was a hero in 68 tho
And 17 in 67 ,nobody will ever win 92 games in 4 years ever again, inning total got him 336 in 68 not including series 325 in 69 28 complete games in 68 and 25 in 69. He would have won 32 but Mayo pulled him out of a game at the end of the year he was winning after 7 innings and Don McMahon gave up a homer to lose it
@@lloydclaussen22616-6 in 65. That's 108 - 51 in five years.
MLB will never raise the mound again. They need more homeruns than they need strikeouts to make the game exciting for those that are not ball fans.
I heard somewhere that Denny would drink something like 30 Pepsi's on the day of his start.
The great Ernie Hartwell on the call!
I heard Larry Ostermann in there too.
He wasn't worthless for quite a few years there and he won 31 games in 68.
One things for sure if they keep middle relievers NOBODy will ever win 30 games again!!
#17
All you hear about 68 is Bob Gibson, what McClain did that year winning 31 was far more impressive.
ps, I almost caught a Freehan foul ball.
no one is flawless few are great, but in 1968 denny was the best and no way no how will a pitcher ever win 30 games again, judge him if you must what ever wrong he did is forgiveable,
Why is Denny not in the Hall of Fame. The best modern day picture in baseball.
I am asking that question about Vida Blue as well.
Pete Rose should be in there to
He basically had a 4 season career. That's NOT HOF caliber and shouldn't be.
I would argue that Gibson and yes, Lolich were equal or better pitchers for far longer.
He was hardly the best pitcher of the 1960's. He only won 131 games in the 10 years he played. He had two great years and four, maybe five good ones. Drysdale, Milt Pappas, Sandy Koufax, Lolich all won more games.
He wasn't even the best pitcher of 1968.
also get rid of the DH if they want more 20 game winners
M P Yeah because sacrifice bunts and the hit and run are so much more exciting.
wongleebruce Really? How does that work? You want to see pitchers hit and then waddle around the bases with their jackets on? Because the double switch is so much more interesting than watching David Ortiz was?
I lived in the Detroit burbs from about 1960-1965 and was a hometown fan for sure. Really was happy about ‘68 and thrilled that Kaline got his ring. Before the Tigers, I was (and continued to be) a Milwaukee Braves fan. I’m reading Henry Aaron’s bio now and unlike people who applaud McClain grooving one to Mantle, Al Downing was berated for giving up 715 to Hank. Black pitcher had to have made sure another black man succeeded. No pitcher wanted to be remembered as that guy. Jack Bellingham was furious he gave up 714. The racism that black ballplayers had to endure was beyond the comprehension to most of us white folks.
Ooh
Denny burned out his arm from pitching so many innings.
That happened to a lot of pitchers back then. That's why they have pitch-counts now.
FWIW- Lolich pitched more innings for far longer and never had ANY arm problems except infrequent tiredness ("deadarm"). He was experiencing that in Game7 of the '68 WS and pitched a complete-game win anyway!
McLain did not burn his arm out for pitching so many innings that was expected of great starting pitchers in his day. He burned his arm out from his many suspension starting in 1970. McLain had won 24 games in 1969, but he got involved in bookmaking for organized crime. The stories were widely reported at the time in SI and Penthouse magazine. He missed most of the 1970 season. The Tiger got fed up with his criminal activities and traded him to the Senators. The Comish widely criticized the trade and said the Senators came out on the sorry end of the deal, and suspended Mclain again. When he joined his new team, he took a dislike to manager Ted Williams and fueded with him. His fast ball wasn't fast anymore due to his inactivities.
@@Diosprometheus McLain was a real bastard.
@Diosprometheus thank for baseball history lessons
When did McLain turn into Michael Moore?
Denny McClain. Ended up being a minor league owner's 'fetch boi" (Memphis Blues)
Denny McClain was a total ###hole
Learn to spell his name-It's McLain, NOT McClain
Funny thing, there's a RUclips clip with Mickey Mantle describing the "gift" home run ball that Denny served up to him - only he says that Freehan was catching, not Price.
ruclips.net/video/qdl6ABq6E3w/видео.html
I think Denny probably remembers it better.
Did he enjoy drinking Pepsi-Cola?
+rowdymax1 Soda is good for you, particularly if you drink diet soda. In 1968 would McClain have consumed a diet alternative. I do recall that Tab tasted awful.
+Fairfaxcat Forgive the misspelling of McLain.
+Fairfaxcat Lamentably, RUclips allows no editing. A period (above) should have been replaced with a question mark.
Fairfaxcat dafuk u talkin bout Willis, click on the dots
Fairfaxcat what you’re a beverage careerist? Bring some links if you’re gonna spew that bullshit.
McLain was in bed w/ gamblers. Some of his outings on the mound were probably 'questionable'.
Randy Bailin I’m not or never have been a Tigers fan but especially backs that era I followed baseball very closely. It would be nice when someone (like you) make a claim such as this you provide a bit of information on the subject to back up your claim. I’ve heard dozens of accusations of ball players over the years many true, (such as the steroids issue) many more false rumors.
McClain ruined his career with the nose candy and gambling
8 ball of cocaine daily . Liked his whiskey too
You must have hung out with him a lot 😅
@TinoEvembrioti hell yeah . Denny had the best Peruvian flake. Top shelf whiskey too lol
Judging by the look on John Hiller's face, I'm guessing BigMouth McLain interrupted him mid-sentence. Typical of self-absorbed Denny.