Cy Young Profile: Mike McCormick, 1967

 Pitcher, San Francisco Giants

Age:  29 (Sept. 29)

7^th season with Giants (first in second stint)

Bats – Left, Throws – Left

Height: 6’2”    Weight: 195

 

Prior to 1967:

A native Californian, McCormick compiled a 34-4 record with two no-hitters at Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra as well as 49-4 playing American Legion ball, with three more no-hitters and a perfect game in which he struck out 26 of the 27 batters he faced. Intending to attend college at USC he instead signed a $50,000 bonus contract with the New York Giants in 1956. Immediately placed on the major league roster, as required by the rules at the time, the 17-year-old appeared in three games, started two of them, and struggled to an 0-1 record with a 9.45 ERA. In 1957 McCormick appeared in 24 games, primarily in relief, and went 3-1 with a 4.10 ERA. Moving to San Francisco along with the franchise in 1958, he started in 28 of his 42 pitching appearances and, relying primarily on his fastball, he posted an 11-8 record with a 4.59 ERA and 82 strikeouts while pitching 178.1 innings. The Giants were major contenders in the 1959 NL pennant race and McCormick, still being utilized as a starter and reliever, contributed a 12-16 mark and 3.99 ERA with 151 strikeouts. The team dropped to fifth place in 1960, but it still proved to be a breakout year for the steadily improving McCormick who was 15-12 with a league-leading 2.70 ERA and 154 strikeouts. He followed up with a 13-16 tally in 1961 with a 3.20 ERA and 163 strikeouts. The Giants won the pennant in 1962, but McCormick contributed little as his workload caught up to him and he dealt with chronic shoulder pain that robbed him of his fastball. He went 5-5 with a 5.38 ERA for the year, as he pitched only 98.2 innings. Traded to the Baltimore Orioles in the offseason, he was utilized as a spot starter in 1963 and produced a 6-8 record with a 4.30 ERA and 75 strikeouts over 136 innings pitched. The Orioles sent him down to Rochester of the Class AAA International League in 1964 where, with the help of a cortisone shot, he rebounded to 12-8 with a 3.29 ERA and 129 strikeouts. Dealt to the Washington Senators in 1965 McCormick was used as a starter and reliever who compiled an 8-8 tally with 88 strikeouts over the course of 158 innings. Now lacking a fastball and dependent on control, a curve, and a screwball, he was primarily a starter in 1966 and was 11-14 with a 3.46 ERA and 101 strikeouts while pitching 216 innings. Traded back to the Giants in the offseason he received his annual cortisone shot and returned to the rotation.     

 

1967 Season Summary

Appeared in 41 games

P – 40, PH – 1

 

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

 

Pitching

Games – 40

Games Started – 35 [7]

Complete Games – 14 [7, tied with Claude Osteen]

Wins – 22 [1]

Losses – 10

PCT - .688 [2]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 5 [2, tied with Gary Nolan & Claude Osteen]

Innings Pitched – 262.1 [6]

Hits – 220 [12]

Runs – 88 [12, tied with Milt Pappas & Tommie Sisk]

Earned Runs – 83 [9, tied with Mike Cuellar]

Home Runs – 25 [2]

Bases on Balls – 81 [4]

Strikeouts – 150 [19]

ERA – 2.85 [16]

Hit Batters – 5 [14, tied with eleven others]

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 9 [8, tied with four others]

 

League-leading wins were +2 ahead of runner-up Ferguson Jenkins

 

Midseason Snapshot: 11-3, ERA - 2.53, SO - 63 in 117.1 IP

 

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Most strikeouts, game – 8 (in 9 IP) vs. Houston 7/15, (in 9 IP) at Chi. Cubs 7/23, (in 9 IP) at St. Louis 8/10, (in 9 IP) vs. Philadelphia 10/1

10+ strikeout games – 0

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 3 (in 7 IP) at Houston 5/21 (in 7 IP) vs. Cincinnati 8/19

 

Batting

PA – 95, AB – 84, R – 8, H – 10, 2B – 2, 3B – 0, HR – 1, RBI – 5, BB – 4, SO – 32, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .119, GDP – 5, HBP – 0, SH – 6, SF – 1

 

Fielding

Chances – 46

Put Outs – 10

Assists – 36

Errors – 0

DP – 2

Pct. - 1.000

 

Awards & Honors:

NL Cy Young Award: BBWAA

NL Pitcher of the Year: Sporting News

6^th in NL MVP voting (73 points, 26% share)

 

NL Cy Young voting:

Mike McCormick, SF: 18 of 20 votes, 90% share

Jim Bunning, Phila.: 1 vote, 5% share

Ferguson Jenkins, ChiC.: 1 vote, 5% share

 

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Giants went 91-71 to finish second in the NL, 10.5 games behind the pennant-winning St. Louis Cardinals. The pitching staff led the league in ERA (2.92), complete games (64), fewest hits allowed (1283), and fewest earned runs allowed (478). The slow-starting Giants picked up steam as the season progressed but were derailed by a four-game series in St. Louis in which they lost three and fell to 11 games out of first.

 

Aftermath of ‘67:

/McCormick dropped off to 12-14 in 1968 as his screwball was no longer dependable, and he was relegated to the bullpen in August. He finished with a 3.58 ERA and 121 strikeouts. Back in the starting rotation in 1969 he posted an 11-9 record with a 3.34 ERA and 76 strikeouts. Off to a dreadful start in 1970 due to a pinched nerve in his back, McCormick was 3-4 with a 6.20 ERA when he was traded to the Yankees where the results were nearly the same. Released by the Yankees during 1971 spring training, he caught on with the Kansas City Royals, who released him in June. Invited to spring training by the Giants in 1972, McCormick pitched with Phoenix of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League until announcing his retirement in June. He returned to the PCL with the Hawaii Islanders, who he played with again in 1973 until he was released. He retired for good at age 34 following the season. For his major league career, McCormick compiled a 134-128 record with a 3.73 ERA, 91 complete games, and 23 shutouts, as well as 1321 strikeouts over 2380.1 innings. In two stints with the Giants he was 107-96 with a 3.68 ERA, 78 complete games, 19 shutouts, and 1030 strikeouts over 1822.2 innings. He was an All-Star during two seasons. His arm remained permanently crooked from throwing the screwball until his death in 2020 at age 81.

 

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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.