Who's ready for another interview?! I hope you are, because the newest one-on-one on Baseball with Matt is with Denny McLain, the last 30-game winner to ever play in the MLB! But before I give you the link to the telephone interview, here's a quick biography on the All Star.
McLain got his career started in baseball when he was signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent in 1962, but eventually was signed off waivers by the Detroit Tigers in 1963. After jumping up and down in the minors for a couple of years, McLain made it to the majors for good in 1965, when he finished with a very respectable record of 16-6 with an ERA of 2.61. After an All Star, 20-win 1966 season and a 17-win '67 campaign, McLain had one of the best seasons in the World Series Era in 1968.
First of all, his ERA for that year in a league-leading 336 innings pitched was 1.96, which is a good stat on its own. But there's more; Denny also finished the season with 280 strikeouts and a record of 31-6! 31 wins and just six losses in 41 chances! How insane is that?! He was the last pitcher to win 30+ games in a season since Dizzy Dean won 30 in 1934 and remains that last 30-game winner in baseball history. Naturally, he won the AL Cy Young Award and MVP and his Tigers beat the Cardinals in the World Series in seven games. In 1969, he had another great year, winning a league-leading 24 games and the Cy Young Award again. (He actually shared the award with Orioles pitcher, Mike Cuellar.) After pitching for a few more years, McLain retired in 1972, finishing with career marks of 131 wins, just 91 losses, and an ERA of 3.39.
Now that you know a little bit about him, click here to listen to the exclusive Baseball with Matt telephone interview with Denny McLain. I hope you enjoy the interview and thanks for listening to it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."
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