Denny McLain

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1963-1972)

Denny McLain was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1972 for 4 teams, including the Detroit Tigers, a span of 10 seasons. Across 280 career appearances, he went 131-91 with a 3.39 ERA and 1,282 strikeouts. He also batted .133 with 1 home runs. Denny McLain was a 3-time All-Star, an MVP, and a 2-time Cy Young.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

W–L 131–91
ERA 3.39
WHIP 1.16
SO 1,282
Pitcher PIV -13707.4
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 185 lb
Born
3/29/1944 in Chicago, IL, USA
MLB Debut
1963-09-21
Last Game
1972-09-12
Awards
3× All-Star · MVP · 2× Cy Young

Full name: Dennis Dale McLain

📊 Compare This Player 📈 View Career Timeline

Career Pitching Statistics

Denny McLain — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
131 91 280 264 105 29 2 1886.0 1,646 711 242 548 1,282 3.39 -13707.4

Career ERA 3.39 vs. league average 3.47 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Denny McLain Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1963 DET AL 2 1 3 3 2 0 0 21.0 20 10 16 22 4.29 3.46 (-24%) -235.5
1964 DET AL 4 5 19 16 3 0 0 100.0 84 45 37 70 4.05 3.58 (-13%) -2111.0
1965 DET AL 16 6 33 29 13 4 1 220.1 174 64 62 192 2.61 3.50 (+25%) 2176.5
1966 DET AL 20 14 38 38 14 4 0 264.1 205 115 104 192 3.92 3.52 (-11%) -5691.5
1967 DET AL 17 16 37 37 10 3 0 235.0 209 99 73 161 3.79 3.30 (-15%) -4534.1
1968 DET AL 31 6 41 41 28 6 0 336.0 241 73 63 280 1.96 2.98 (+34%) 4024.5
1969 DET AL 24 9 42 41 23 9 0 325.0 288 101 67 181 2.80 3.61 (+23%) 4877.8
1970 DET AL 3 5 14 14 1 0 0 91.1 100 47 28 52 4.63 3.89 (-19%) -3051.6
1971 WS2 AL 10 22 33 32 9 3 0 216.2 233 103 72 103 4.28 3.47 (-23%) -5038.1
1972 OAK AL 1 2 5 5 0 0 0 22.1 32 15 8 8 6.04 3.26 (-85%) -1017.0
1972 ATL NL 3 5 15 8 2 0 1 54.0 60 39 18 21 6.50 3.26 (-99%) -3107.3
Career · 11 seasons 131 91 280 264 105 29 2 1,886.0 1,646 711 548 1,282 3.39 — -13,707

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Denny McLain — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
285 616 32 82 5 2 1 31 1 25 244 .133 .166 .153 .318 -4,125

Career AVG .133 vs. league average .247 across their career seasons — 46.0% below league average.

Career OBP .166 vs. league average .313 across their career seasons — 46.9% below league average.

Career SLG .153 vs. league average .367 across their career seasons — 58.4% below league average.

Career OPS .318 vs. league average .680 across their career seasons — 53.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Denny McLain Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1963 DET AL 3 5 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 .200 — — — — 0.0
1964 DET AL 20 37 2 5 0 0 0 2 0 1 15 .135 — — — — 0.0
1965 DET AL 33 74 2 4 0 0 0 3 0 6 32 .054 .245 (-78%) .310 (-60%) .371 (-85%) .682 (-74%) -833.8
1966 DET AL 38 93 10 17 2 0 0 5 1 5 39 .183 .248 (-26%) .309 (-27%) .376 (-46%) .685 (-37%) -519.1
1967 DET AL 38 85 3 10 0 0 0 0 0 2 37 .118 .242 (-51%) .306 (-55%) .357 (-67%) .663 (-61%) -765.5
1968 DET AL 44 111 7 18 1 1 0 4 0 1 37 .162 .236 (-31%) .298 (-43%) .340 (-44%) .638 (-44%) -706.2
1969 DET AL 42 106 5 17 0 0 0 8 0 4 41 .160 .248 (-35%) .320 (-41%) .369 (-57%) .689 (-50%) -820.0
1970 DET AL 14 31 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 13 .065 — — — — 0.0
1971 WS2 AL 33 58 0 6 1 1 0 7 0 4 22 .103 .249 (-59%) .316 (-49%) .365 (-58%) .682 (-54%) -479.8
1972 OAK AL 5 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 — — — — 0.0
1972 ATL NL 15 12 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 .167 — — — — 0.0
Career · 11 seasons 285 616 32 82 5 2 1 31 1 25 244 .133 — — — — -4,125

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Denny McLain — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
3 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Denny McLain — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1968 WS DET 3 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Denny McLain — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 2 3 3 0 16.2 18 6 4 13 3.24

Playoff Pitching by Year

Denny McLain — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1968 WS DET 1 2 3 3 0 16.2 18 6 4 13 3.24

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (565 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Denny McLain — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home1452991534111.114
Away1403171748020.151

Pitching — Home / Away

Denny McLain — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home144997.18983782556903.41
Away136888.27483332935923.37

Last 10 Games — Batting

Denny McLain — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
1972-09-12 ATLCINL 000000000
1972-09-01 ATLPHIL 100000011
1972-08-27 ATLNYNL 000000000
1972-08-18 ATLWSNL 201000011
1972-08-13 ATLCINL 000000000
1972-08-08 ATLHOUW 300000001
1972-08-04 ATLCINL 101000000
1972-07-31 ATLLADW 200000001
1972-07-28 ATLSFGW 000000000
1972-07-22 ATLSTLW 000000000

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Denny McLain — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1972-09-12 ATLCIN L 0.0332001
1972-09-01 ATLPHI — 6.01155221
1972-08-27 ATLNYN L 2.0687103
1972-08-18 ATLWSN — 7.0533221
1972-08-13 ATLCIN L 1.1344200
1972-08-08 ATLHOU W 9.0744111
1972-08-04 ATLCIN L 7.0533250
1972-07-31 ATLLAD W 7.0522651
1972-07-28 ATLSFG SV 0.1000000
1972-07-22 ATLSTL W 1.0000000

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Denny McLain — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 280 264 154 212 13 15

Season-by-Season Fielding

Denny McLain — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1963 DET P 3 3 0 6 2 2
1964 DET P 19 16 4 6 1 0
1965 DET P 33 29 17 30 1 1
1966 DET P 38 38 14 34 0 2
1967 DET P 37 37 21 22 5 4
1968 DET P 41 41 36 40 1 3
1969 DET P 42 41 26 24 2 1
1970 DET P 14 14 7 14 0 1
1971 WS2 P 33 32 27 26 0 1
1972 OAK P 5 5 0 5 0 0
1972 ATL P 15 8 2 5 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Denny McLain Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 280

Awards & Honors

Denny McLain — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1969 Cy Young Award
1969 TSN All-Star RHP
1969 TSN Pitcher of the Year
1968 Cy Young Award
1968 Most Valuable Player
1968 TSN All-Star P
1968 TSN Major League Player of the Year
1968 TSN Pitcher of the Year

Award Voting History

Denny McLain — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1969 Cy Young Award AL 1st 10.0 24 10
1969 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 85.0 336 0
1968 Cy Young Award AL 1st 20.0 20 20
1968 Most Valuable Player AL 1st 280.0 280 20
1966 Most Valuable Player AL 15th 12.0 280 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Denny McLain (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Mike Scott
    124-108, 3.54 ERA
  2. 88
    John Tudor
    117-72, 3.12 ERA
  3. 88
    Gary Nolan
    110-70, 3.08 ERA
  4. 87
    Jered Weaver
    150-98, 3.63 ERA
  5. 86
    John Smiley
    126-103, 3.80 ERA
  6. 85
    Don Wilson
    104-92, 3.15 ERA

Denny McLain: the record in brief

September 21, 1963 and September 12, 1972 bracket Denny McLain's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, McLain's seasons break down as the Detroit Tigers (1963 to 1970), the Washington Senators (1971), the Oakland Athletics (1972), and the Atlanta Braves (1972). McLain, born on March 29, 1944, in Chicago, IL, USA, is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 185 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame. The given name on file is Dennis Dale McLain.

McLain went 131-91 with a 3.39 ERA in 280 games, 264 of them starts. The totals include 1,282 strikeouts, 105 complete games, and 29 shutouts. McLain's 3.39 ERA was close to the 3.47 league figure for those seasons. 1968 brought McLain a season-high 31 wins. In 1968, one of the busiest seasons, McLain posted a 1.96 ERA; the league figure that year was 2.98.

Frequently Asked Questions about Denny McLain

What years did Denny McLain play?
Denny McLain played in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1972.
Was Denny McLain a pitcher?
Yes. Denny McLain pitched in the major leagues, recording 131 wins and 1282 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Denny McLain hit?
Denny McLain hit 1 career home runs with 82 hits.
What was Denny McLain's career batting average?
Denny McLain batted .133 over his career, with 82 hits in 616 at bats.
How many RBI did Denny McLain have?
Denny McLain drove in 31 runs in his career.
What was Denny McLain's career ERA?
Denny McLain finished with a 3.39 career ERA, going 131-91 with 1,282 strikeouts.