Dave McNally

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Born in Billings, Montana, McNally was raised by his mother after his father died in a non-combat accident while serving in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. He was signed by the Orioles out of high school in 1961 and made his major league debut one year later, throwing a shutout in his first game in the major leagues. From 1963 through 1965, he continued to refine his pitches while securing his grip on a starting spot in the Orioles' rotation. He made two starts in the 1966 World Series, the second of which was a shutout that gave the Orioles a 4–0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. McNally was bothered by a calcium deposit in his elbow in 1967; the injury limited his playing time in the second half of the season. He was named the Comeback Player of the Year in 1968 as he finished second in the American League with 22 wins. McNally was selected to the All-Star Game for the first time in 1969, finishing the season with 20 wins. He threw 11 shutout innings to beat the Minnesota Twins in Game 2 of the first AL Championship Series, then faced the New York Mets twice in the 1969 World Series. He hit a home run against Jerry Koosman in one of the games, but the Orioles were defeated in five games. In 1970, McNally tied for the AL lead with 24 wins. He hit a grand slam in Game 3 of the 1970 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, becoming a World Series victor for the second time as the Orioles won the World Series in five games. He missed six weeks with an injury in 1971 but still pitched enough to be one of four Orioles to win 20 games that season. McNally beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in Game 1 of the 1971 World Series, lost Game 5, and won Game 6 in relief, but the Orioles were defeated in seven games. In 1971, McNally was named to the All-Star Game for the third time. He finished the year with his first losing record since 1964, though this was partly due to the Orioles scoring fewer runs than they had the previous year. In 1973 and 1974, he faced the Oakland Athletics in the playoffs but lost both games he pitched. Thinking he needed a change of scenery, McNally requested a trade after the 1974 season; the Orioles obliged, sending him to the Montreal Expos, with whom he played one final year before retiring halfway through 1975, citing an inability to throw the fastball. After the 1975 season, he added his name to a grievance filed against the

In Their Own Story

On September 26, 1962, a nervous 19-year-old McNally stepped onto the mound for his first major league start against the Kansas City Athletics. 'I was scared to death,' he later recalled, yet he threw a shutout, limiting the opposition to just two hits in nine innings. Years later, on October 1, 1965, he delivered another perfect performance, throwing a no-hitter until Don Lock hit a double in the seventh inning for a 2–0 victory over Cleveland. In the 1970 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, McNally showcased his offensive grit by hitting a grand slam in Game 3, helping secure a five-game championship. His journey wasn't without struggle; facing the Oakland Athletics in the playoffs in both 1973 and 1974, he lost both games he pitched before requesting a trade to Montreal for a change of scenery.

Reader's Guide

McNally was born on October 31, 1942, in Billings, Montana. Before his third birthday, his father, James, died in the Battle of Okinawa. Betsy, his widow, worked in a welfare office to support the family; Dave was the youngest of four children. He attended Billings Central Catholic High School, but since the school did not field a baseball team, his baseball experience in his young adult years came with the Billings Royals, an American Legion team. The Royals were in the midst of winning 14 straight state championships when McNally played with them, and the team reached the Legion World Series in two of his years with them. In 1960, McNally had an 18–1 record as a pitcher. Both the Baltimore Orioles and the Los Angeles Dodgers recruited him; McNally signed with the Orioles a month before his 18th birthday, in September 1960. He later quipped that, had he known how many young pitching prospects the Orioles had, he would have signed with the Dodgers instead. Jim Russo, the scout who signed him, also signed Jim Palmer and Boog Powell for the Orioles. The Orioles had McNally pitch in an instructional league in fall of 1960, then assigned him to the Victoria Rosebuds of the Class AA Texas League in 1961. McNally struggled against the competition, losing three of his four starts and posting a 6.16 earned run average (ERA) before the Orioles reassigned him to the Fox Cities Foxes of the Class B Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League. At Fox Cities, McNally still had a losing record (8–10) but his ERA dropped to 4.18 in 25 games. With the Class A Elmira Pioneers of the Eastern League in 1962, McNally was the team's best player. He tied with Wilbur Wood and Sonny Siebert for second in the league with 15 wins (behind Paul Seitz, who had 16), ranked second with 195 strikeouts (behind Bob Heffner with 234), tied John Pregenzer for eighth with 196 innings pitched, tied Bill Hands and Pregenzer for third with four shutouts (behind Steve Dalkowski with six and Richard Slomkowski with five), and had a 3.08 ERA. Following his season with Elmira, McNally was a September callup by the Orioles in 1962; he got one start with the team. On September 26, he pitched the first game of a doubleheader against the Kansas City Athletics. 'I was scared to death,' McNally later recalled, but he threw a shutout, limiting the Athletics to two hits in nine innings. In an interview prior to the start of

Did You Know?

• McNally threw a shutout in his major league debut on September 26, 1962, against the Kansas City Athletics.
• His father died in a non-combat accident while serving in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.