Dave McNally has the seemingly odd epithet of greatest Major League Baseball player ever to hail from the state of Montana. A two-time World Series champion and 3-time All-Star, McNally spent most of his major league career with the Baltimore Orioles, surrounded by other great pitchers, including Jim Palmer and Mike Cuellar. Although he never stood out, his reputation as a solid workhorse is a testament to his abilities as a pitcher and as a player.
David Arthur McNally was born October 31, 1942, in Billings, Montana. At the age of 14, he invested his time almost completely in American Legion baseball, dominating as a pitcher throughout the entire Northwest United States.
At 18, he was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles and spent 2 years in the minor leagues developing a dangerous curveball and a tough work ethic. He made his major league pitching debut September 26, 1962, throwing a 2 hit complete game shutout. An audacious start indeed. He struggled through his next few seasons, occasionally showing flashes of brilliance.
In 1966, McNally's Orioles reached the World Series, where they swept the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the climactic Game 4, McNally outdueled Hall of Famer Don Drysdale, striking out 11 and allowing only 4 hits to seal the win.
McNally's best year came in 1968, when he went 22-10 with a remarkable 1.95 ERA. His opponents only batted .182 against him for the year. However, that was the same year Denny McLain won 31 games (which no one has topped since), and McNally was robbed of a Cy Young. The following year, the Orioles again made it to the World Series, only to lose in 5 games to the Miracle Mets of '69. However, the Orioles made up for it in 1970, winning the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. One interesting note is that McNally became the only pitcher before or since to hit a grand slam in the World Series.
In 1971, McNally had a 21-5 record to lead the league in winning percentage, but elbow injuries were beginning to nag him. He fell to 13-17 the following year (although he had an almost identical earned run average), and never showed the flash of his youth. McNally was traded to the fledgling Montreal Expos in 1975, and after an injury-shortened subpar season, retired.
McNally is also important in major league baseball history for his off-the-field negotiations: when Andy Messersmith refused to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers after a trade, McNally signed on as a co-plaintiff in a lawsuit against Major League Baseball. The landmark decision ruled in favor of the two players, and free agency was born, paving the way for baseball players to shop their wares around the league. The culmination of this was Alex Rodriguez's 10-year, $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers. On the same day A-Rod signed his deal, Dave McNally was named Montana's Athlete of the Century.
Dave McNally, World Series hero and Montana legend, passed away December 2, 2002, of cancer at the age of 60.
Lifetime Statistics
YEAR TEAM W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB K ERA
1962 BAL AL 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 9.0 2 0 0 3 4 0.00
1963 BAL AL 7 8 29 20 2 0 1 125.7 133 64 9 55 78 4.58
1964 BAL AL 9 11 30 23 5 3 0 159.3 157 65 15 51 88 3.67
1965 BAL AL 11 6 35 29 6 2 0 198.7 163 63 15 73 116 2.85
1966 BAL AL 13 6 34 33 5 1 0 213.0 212 75 22 64 158 3.17
1967 BAL AL 7 7 24 22 3 1 0 119.0 134 60 13 39 70 4.54
1968 BAL AL 22 10 35 35 18 5 0 273.0 175 59 24 55 202 1.95
1969 BAL AL 20 7 41 40 11 4 0 268.7 232 96 21 84 166 3.22
1970 BAL AL 24 9 40 40 16 1 0 296.0 277 106 29 78 185 3.22
1971 BAL AL 21 5 30 30 11 1 0 224.3 188 72 24 58 91 2.89
1972 BAL AL 13 17 36 36 12 6 0 241.0 220 79 15 68 120 2.95
1973 BAL AL 17 17 38 38 17 4 0 266.0 247 95 16 81 87 3.21
1974 BAL AL 16 10 39 37 13 4 1 259.0 260 103 19 81 111 3.58
1975 MON NL 3 6 12 12 0 0 0 77.3 88 45 8 36 36 5.24
CAREER 184 119 424 396 120 33 2 2730.0 2488 982 230 826 1512 3.24
* Bold denotes led league.
Sources
- Baseball-Reference.com
- The Missoulian's 100 Greatest Montanans - www.missoulian.com/specials/100montanans/list/074.html