Cy Young Profile: Dean Chance, 1964

Pitcher, Los Angeles Angels

Age:  23 (June 1)

3^rd season with Angels

Bats – Right, Throws – Right

Height: 6’3”    Weight: 200

Prior to 1964:

A native of Wooster, Ohio, where his family owned a farm, Chance compiled an astounding 51-1 record at Northwestern High School that included 17 no-hitters. He was signed by the Baltimore Orioles for $30,000 in 1959 and was 10-3 with a 2.94 ERA for Bluefield of the Class D Appalachian League in ’59 and followed up with a 12-9 tally with a 3.13 ERA and 145 strikeouts for Fox Cities of the Class B Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League in 1960. Reportedly put off by his brashness, the Orioles chose not to protect Chance in the expansion draft for the 1961 season and he was picked by the new Washington Senators franchise, who promptly traded him to the equally new Angels who assigned him to Dallas-Fort Worth of the Class AAA American Association for ’61. Chance was 9-12 with a 3.66 record and earned a late-season trial with the Angels in their inaugural season. He started four games and was 0-2 with a 6.87 ERA. He stuck with the Angels in 1962 who had a surprisingly good second season, finishing third in the AL. Chance contributed a 14-10 record with a 2.96 ERA. 1963 was tougher for both the young pitcher and the team. Chance posted a 13-18 record for the 70-91 club, with a 3.19 ERA and 168 strikeouts over the course of 248 innings pitched. His most effective pitches were his sinking fastball, sweeping curve, and slider, which he threw with a three-quarters delivery after turning his back to the plate during his windup. 

1964 Season Summary

Appeared in 46 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 46

Games Started – 35 [8, tied with Diego Segui, Al Downing & Bill Monbouquette]

Complete Games – 15 [1]

Wins – 20 [1, tied with Gary Peters]

Losses – 9

PCT - .690 [5]

Saves – 4

Shutouts – 11 [1]

Innings Pitched – 278.1 [1]

Hits – 194

Runs – 56

Earned Runs – 51

Home Runs – 7

Bases on Balls – 86 [7]

Strikeouts – 207 [3]

ERA – 1.65 [1]

Hit Batters – 2

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 9 [9, tied with Moe Drabowsky & Dick Stigman]

League-leading complete games were +1 ahead of runner-up Camilo Pascual

League-leading shutouts were +3 ahead of runner-up Whitey Ford

League-leading innings pitched were +4.2 ahead of runner-up Gary Peters

League-leading ERA was -0.23 lower than runner-up Joe Horlen

Midseason Snapshot: 5-5, ERA - 2.18, SO - 84 in 111.1 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 15 (in 9 IP) vs. Boston 6/2

10+ strikeout games – 4

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 2 (in 9 IP) vs. Boston 6/2, (in 9 IP) vs. NY Yankees 7/28, (in 9 IP) at Washington 8/14, (in 9 IP) at Detroit 8/18, (in 9 IP) at NY Yankees 9/15

Batting

PA – 100, AB – 89, R – 3, H – 7, 2B – 0, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 0, BB – 3, SO – 53, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .079, GDP – 0, HBP – 0, SH – 8, SF – 0

Fielding

Chances – 44

Put Outs – 10

Assists – 33

Errors – 1

DP – 1

Pct. - .977

Awards & Honors:

MLB Cy Young Award: BBWAA

AL Pitcher of the Year: Sporting News

All-Star (starting P for AL)

5^th in AL MVP voting (97 points, 35% share)

MLB Cy Young voting:

Dean Chance, LAA: 17 of 20 votes, 85% share

Larry Jackson, ChiC.: 2 votes, 10% share

Sandy Koufax, LAD: 1 vote, 5% share

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Angels went 82-80 to finish fifth in the AL, 17 games behind the pennant-winning New York Yankees.

Aftermath of ‘64:

Chance had a lesser but respectable season for the seventh-place Angels in 1965, going 15-10 with a 3.15 ERA. Rechristened the California Angels, the team moved into the new Anaheim Stadium in 1966 and Chance’s record dropped to 12-17 with a 3.08 ERA. He was traded to the Minnesota Twins in the offseason and had a fine performance for a contending club, leading the AL with 283.2 innings pitched and 18 complete games while compiling a 20-14 record and 2.73 ERA with 220 strikeouts. Along the way he pitched a no-hitter against Cleveland. Chance was 16-16 in 1968, with a 2.53 ERA and 234 strikeouts over the course of 292 innings pitched. It would prove to be his last effective season. A back injury before the 1969 season limited him to 20 appearances and a 5-4 tally with a 2.95 ERA. He was dealt to the Cleveland Indians after the injury-marred year and struggled to a 9-8 record with a 4.24 ERA in 1970 until being sold to the New York Mets in September where he pitched a total of two innings and had an 0-1 record. Chance was traded one more time, to the Detroit Tigers in 1971 where he compiled a 4-6 record with a 3.51 ERA in his last season. Overall in the major leagues Chance was 128-115 with a 2.92 ERA and 1534 strikeouts over 2147.1 innings. He was 74-66 with a 2.83 ERA and 857 strikeouts with the Angels. In all, he was a two-time All-Star. Chance was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in 2015, just a few months before his death at age 74.    

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Cy Young Profiles feature pitchers who were recipients of the Cy Young Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1956 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1966 and from 1967 on to one recipient from each major league.