Beyond the Glory: Denny McLain

2004 Documentary on the former pitcher, best known for being the last 30 game winner for the 1968 World Champion Detroit Tigers

[@stephensdygert7600]

I was born in Detroit in 1957. Lived in Redford until the age of 4. Moved to Farmington hills, grew up in those years. I remember the 1968 Tigers. I was in the fourth grade. The series was so important to the city of Detroit. We watched the first two games in school, Beechview elementary. Years later Denny Mclain was a customer of mine on my Detroit News motor paper route. The Tigers winning the 1968 world series helped heal the city. MLK assassination, RFK also. The Detroit riots. It was a tumultuous time. I was 11 years old. Ran into Denny McLain when he owned the Electric Circus pool hall/ night club. Saw Rush play there, quite a few times.

[@ericw3229]

I am a year older. I lived in the city and attended Detroit Public schools. We got a nice break the day of game seven. We were supposed to have a half day of school the day after game seven for teachers meetings. The school superintendent Dr. Norman Drachler moved it up a day so we we able to get home and see the entire game in TV.

[@rentslave]

@@ericw3229 In NJ,teachers get two whole days off for ostensibly a convention,but in reality two days of debauchery.

[@chrishall6419]

I was 8 years old and watched that series. Lolich was unbelievable..been a Tiger fan ever since…I live in Tennessee!

[@jimcoleman598]

Former teammate Gates Brown had the best line. When you shook Dennys hand you had to count your fingers afterwards.

[@rentslave]

He should talk:Willie Horton had this to say about Gates"When Gates was in high school,he took history,geography,and overcoats."

[@rossob01]

My brothers, father and I watched Denny shutout the Orioles on July 27, 1968 for his 20th win the year he won 31 ⚾️⚾️⚾️

[@markmcintyre1360]

He makes Pete Rose look like a saint.

[@jay-ss4sp]

That doesn't make Rose a saint!

[@1981lashlarue]

@@jay-ss4sp He didn't say it did. He said he makes him look like one by comparison.

[@PlayerToBeNamedLater1973]

Rose's accomplishments are FAR greater and his crimes are FAR less serious or frequent

[@tomace194]

​@jay-ss4sp if he never bet against himself I see no issue. It's only an issue if you lose on purpose.

[@craptainofsea]

1996 ...I was a distributor of his prepaid phone cards. He ended up bankrupting a phone company in Jefferson City, Missouri called Tel-Central. Along with it, a lot of us lost money.

[@Missfireblossom]

I couldn't finish this. I just couldn't listen to him lie his head off and play the victim any longer. That said, he was one helluva pitcher.

[@69FOSTER]

His explanation for his 1967 foot injury was ludicrous. In this video, McLain says he injured his foot watching the Untouchables. In a previous documentary, Denny said his dog knocked over something and Denny injured his foot trying to find out what happened. Everybody must be lying except Denny.

[@patrickbyrne7882]

Well said. Yeah sure his lawyer stole 400 grand from him. Sure. I hope this guy never had kids

[@messibecki]

@@patrickbyrne7882he does I think I’m related to him somehow in my family im not sure id have to ask my grandpa sense they are cousins

[@michaelcanney7218]

He only had 3 good years

[@michaelleroy9281]

​@@michaelcanney7218In 1966 he was also a 20 game winner

[@tymesho]

Mickey Lolich was the MAN.

[@marklatino2099]

McLain is like Rose.He's never wrong,as far as he is concerned. How anyone can believe anything either of these guys says is beyond me.They were great baseball players, but that's it

[@PlayerToBeNamedLater1973]

At least they're not sanctimonious no names who never achieved anything

[@bradybaylis6058]

How 'bout 55-15 in two years ? I speak to Denny monthly on a Detroit,Mich.,sports talk show,and while I'm far from blind to his criminal activities,he seems a good guy (albeit one with an,ummm,INTERESTING take about his post-baseball life ) and is devoted to his wife,Sharyn who has Parkinson's Disease.Also,Happy 75th birthday,Denny !!!!

[@joshpinson007]

I just met him today at a card show hear in Monroe. He seems like he’s a good guy with very interesting stories, I’m 33 and was shocked by his awesome stories. He’s a legend in my eyes

[@andybovee827]

I'm a Michigander from Lansing and a lifelong Tiger fan. I now live just outside of Augusta Georgia and did some landscaping work for Denny Jr. . I was elated to find out that his dad was thee Denny McClain. They are both good family men, and I'm capable of looking over the past. Denny will always be one of the greatest Tigers ever!

[@michaelcanney7218]

And after going 55-15, his arm was toast

[@denniscassley2569]

I love the Mickey Mantle story!! AND, ANYTHING with BILL FREEHAN!!

[@billrandel8006]

Read the book "Behind The Mask" as a kid. Might be the first book I ever read. Was 13 in 68.

[@Dark_Asteroid]

There will never be another 30 game winner.

[@rentslave]

There could someday be another Wilbur Wood on a dominating team.It's Jamie Moyer's record that will never be even approached,that of going 22 years between hitting sacrifice flies.

[@syourke3]

“There’s never been any like Denny McLain”. That’s for sure!

[@franklee7150]

Denny won the genetic lottery. Athletic and Musical talent.

[@ffejeroni1]

Thanks for uploading this!

[@camoss3724]

There's a fantastic article from 1993 by Steve Rushin of Sports Illustrated titled "The Season of High Heat." It basically tracks both McLain and St. Louis's Bob Gibson through that summer up to their highly-anticipated meeting in the 1968 World Series.

[@candacecrocker352]

Nobody else had that kick! One of the greatest pitchers of all time!

[@michaelcanney7218]

Juan marichal did

[@candacecrocker352]

Yes my bad! He sure did!

[@banking-cartelmedia-cartel7206]

You'll always be my hero because I was you when l played whiffle ball in my back yard in 1967 - 1969

[@zorro1955]

I use to hate the tigers. My grandpop lived in detroit, went to many tiger games, took me to games. I grew to like the tigers, after what they did for detroit in 1968, and tiger stadium was awesome. Denny McLain won 31 games, and his record will never be broken, due to a 5 man rotation. The closes a pitcher can do is 30 games, and he has to win every game from start to end of season and that’s impossible to do. If teams go back to a 4 man rotation, then it’s possible, but todays pitchers can’t even go pass 5 damm innings

[@billrandel8006]

Make me angry that one of my childhood heroes. Got in all this trouble. Was 13 in 68. and a big tigers fan. His teammates had alot to do with his greatness.

[@Diosprometheus]

The death of Kenny Hubbs was a great lost to baseball, and especially the Cubs. He was a bright light in the game and only played a short time. RIP.

[@davanmani556]

The way he talked about him and his death really bothers me. The others stuff, well, my family is from India.

[@garymaccagnone3669]

Denny just can't beat the demons within himself.

[@banking-cartelmedia-cartel7206]

What example do you have on that? I'm listening to this and enjoying every minute of it

[@bobo44donemilking51]

Denny and Lenny dykstra lol

[@strangerintown3676]

10 years ago I had a chance encounter with a Denny McLain cousin. The man did not even want to talk about him, other than to say " he was bad news ".

[@kevinflaherty6028]

Dennys had rough road to go through, but made some bad choices, glad he's came through it hopefully staying out of trouble the rest of the way.

[@kevinw9073]

Great video!

[@SJam491]

"I hope that the fans will remember me as an outstanding professional musician. That is my real goal in life." -- Denny McLain, 1969 (quote taken from back cover of the "Denny McLain in Las Vegas" LP)

[@winstonbeech3418]

I met Denny McLain today and enjoyed it very much. He told some stories, we talked about playing Hammond organs. Something from my youth I always wanted to do. Shook hands and I still have all my fingers. And a few other goodies too.

[@thediscostu4127]

19:11 this is probably still the most famous triple play in Detroit Tigers history.

[@455Transam]

McClains 31-6 record will NEVER be broken.......the starters don't pitch as much anymore. Nobody will even win 30 games.

[@69FOSTER]

Starters usually get pulled after about five innings. Kershaw got yanked after pitching seven perfect innings.

[@jamesreynoso4054]

Since 1930 - 92 Years - Only 1 - 30 Game Winner in that time - Denny Mc Clain

[@bobo44donemilking51]

Denny got alot of run support and mickey lolish didn't.lolish was the stud in the world series

[@dennisrandolph6466]

My home field we’d play at was Denny Miller in Englewood Colorado. I wore number 17. My name is Dennis born 84☘️Pitched and played first.

[@dennisrandolph6466]

O’Mahoney is my granny

[@dongfreid582]

what an interesting life. I have his Sports Illustrated 1970 poster hanging in my basement

[@mikebradshaw6484]

Denny Insane.

[@georgesealy4706]

Denny McClain made one of the most amazing plays I ever saw. During his big year, he was pitching a game and there was a baserunner on third base. During the pitch, Denny noticed the baserunner got too far down the line. Denny then proceeded to run with the ball toward the baserunner. (It didn't qualify as a balk.) The baserunner was frozen as Denny kept faking throws to third base. And the baserunner couldn't take off toward home because Denny still had the ball. Denny kept getting closer and closer, and then he tagged out the baserunner. Amazing and a true story. I saw it happen. Denny literally ran from the pitching mound and tagged out a runner.

[@bobma6342]

Was this in the minors?

[@georgesealy4706]

@@bobma6342 No, in the majors.

[@dant2047]

I was 10 when he won 31 games and he became my boyhood hero - I even wore #17 whenever I could - weird that as an adult that I had to admit that my childhood hero went to prison for racketeering.

[@bobma6342]

That's why I never had celebrities as heroes.

[@stevebaynham4148]

History....he was good..

[@dustylover100]

This is the guy who ran a thriving meat company, Farmer Peet's, into the ground along with his partner. They had great ham, sausage, and bacon. I miss Chesaning, MI, where the company was based.

[@dustylover100]

The old Farmer Peet's is now the Saginaw County Fairgrounds.

[@windermere2330]

I used to take my mother to the Bonnie Mill Inn in Chesaning. My mother loved going there. Such a cool lil town too!

[@ronaldnanni298]

Denny ruled for 2 years. I wish I could have pitched 1 inning in the MLB

[@455Transam]

Surprised Denny didn't become Diabetic drinking all that sugar laced PEPSI.

[@seanohare5488]

I agree

[@markgaston4416]

I thought the SAME THING. The man drank 20 colas a day!! He very well might’ve become one, during or after his career.

[@clarenceboddicker1162]

Could you do the Ozzie smith one ?

[@xlb7479]

History !!!!

[@rockyvines8045]

On a trivial note, it's good to hear, at the end, parts of the song Ernie Harwell wrote about McLain in 1968. Lord willing, I might live to hear the song in it's entirety. Just a novelty thought.

[@fr6313]

By the age of 25 he had already amassed 125 wins . If he averaged just 12 wins for the next 10 years that would have been a nice sum

[@stevenyourke7901]

No. He had 114 wins.

[@Minivanmusician]

Met him today. Nice guy

[@andybovee827]

The man paid the price for his crimes, still one of the Tigers' greatest pitchers. I'm a Tiger fan for life!!

[@bobma6342]

Not enough

[@stephaniegormley9982]

26:28 But how would that break your toes? I can see your ankle being broken or badly sprained, but that wouldn't break any toes.

[@bobo44donemilking51]

It could

[@seanohare5488]

Good point

[@andybovee827]

Little Denny looks like his grandfather

[@user-dv3do1od2r]

Groving the fastball to Mick for his home run pretty much summarizes Denny. He played by his own rules.

[@jeromemurphy2572]

Would anyone have the SportsCentury Denny McLain video?

[@maxcarey6414]

I'm on the lookout for it.

[@sethshaw448]

because he was the best pitcher in baseball in late 1960s and the heart and soul of the 1968 World Champion team that helped calm America during the most tumultuous year in its history.

[@banking-cartelmedia-cartel7206]

@@sethshaw448 you know there's a fantastic story about the tumultuous 1960s of course in 63 you had a great tumultuous event which was the coup of John F Kennedy that the Press and the publishing houses in Hollywood covered up for their own interests. Then I learned in 1968 that James Earl Ray most likely never shot Martin Luther King but Ray was set up just like Oswald as a patsy and a false front company call parmindex was involved in both Kennedys coup and Martin Luther King's assassination. And as a kicker there appears to have been Foul Play in Robert Kennedy's assassination and I'm led to believe that the assassination of Martin Luther King was deliberate by the Deep state in order to create racial hostilities in America it was not the work of a lone gunman. But quite frankly the 1960s and I lived in them were much more calm then the 2010 and onward. Today we deal with many terrible things including terrorism and mass killings and this is a much more terrible age then the 1960s 1960s had a lot of good things going for it.

[@michiganmafiamx5543]

I dated Denny’s daughter Michelle, she was pretty nice.

[@kevinmcrae3354]

Denny ..... The Man The Legend The good old days

[@loyaldude10]

I wouldn’t call Mclain a legend by any stretch

[@vaughnmild4467]

Wonder how much speed he was washing down with that Pepsi Cola

[@brettbanta2100]

Probably a ton of it

[@phillipsolesky2677]

Even though the story is total BS it's still good!

[@davidjsouth231]

My granddad, rest his soul, could name the whole ‘68 Tigers roster

[@MIKIEEYEZ1975]

Ugh!! So could I.. I can name the whole Major leagues in ‘68..

[@swampghost72]

Some people need multiple chances to turn it around and thats fact..

[@banking-cartelmedia-cartel7206]

Even your album is a 30 game winner. Tell me Denny - Why can't pitchers pitch 40 games a year anymore?

[@Scott-ly2nk]

I wish someone would do alex johnson he was underated

[@johnbailey8832]

Still my hero sock it to m tigres

[@johnduffy532]

His flaws were overwhelming

[@drbonesshow1]

No honor among thieves.

[@banking-cartelmedia-cartel7206]

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone

[@erichernandez4548]

Does anyone know the name of the intro theme with the guitar??? Asking for a friend

[@jakesmith6337]

Framed 3 times 🤔 hmmmm

[@EPA18]

How did a lawyer rip him off for over $400,000?

[@banking-cartelmedia-cartel7206]

This is a trick question isn't it? Because how does a lawyer rip you off of 400000? Answer because you don't have 500,000 that he would rip you out of

[@willdrucker4291]

What a waste of talent...most pitchers in TODAY’S game don’t come close to winning TWENTY games...yet alone THIRTY....shoulda/coulda/woulda

[@chrisshockey5845]

He's got a point. He wasn't very good at book making... lmao

[@phillipsolesky2677]

Right, he grabbed a firefighter's helmet.. LMAO!

[@SteveAustin-jp3ev]

Denny got involved with the mob in 1967. He cost the Tigers the pennant. In addition the long injury to Kaline did not help. Tigers were better than the Red Sox in 67.

[@michaelleroy9281]

For sure in 1968, until the World 🌎 Series the baseball gods were smiling on the Red Sox in 1967 The Impossible Dream

[@drbonesshow1]

Thought he would last longer. That's what all women think.

[@tomking1890]

2 sides of Denny.

[@banking-cartelmedia-cartel7206]

I put Dennys in the league of Sand Koufax for a short stint of years

[@drbonesshow1]

Sounds like McLain won several awards for lying.

[@banking-cartelmedia-cartel7206]

I know he want a couple awards one was a Cy Young and the other was the MVP in the same year 1968

[@banking-cartelmedia-cartel7206]

Denny's probably lied less than most. It's his honesty that I really appreciate he tells it like it is

[@jim7297]

@@banking-cartelmedia-cartel7206 You are delusional. You do not want to believe he is full of shit. I understand. He was your hero. With that being said, he has lied to anyone and everyone that would listen. Great ballplayer for sure. Bad man for sure.

[@johnleber3369]

Dont mention his name to old Senators fans.Gave up our left part of infield for a damn stiff causing collapse of team and move two years later to Dallas by jerk owner Bob Short.

[@banking-cartelmedia-cartel7206]

@@johnleber3369 I was a young kid and 7-8 years old when Denny had back to back Cy Young years. And a 31 game winner was awesone! Every time I played whiffle ball I wanted to be Denny McClain. Sorry about the Senators

[@danacoleman4007]

This was weird. REALLY weird.

[@johnleber3369]

Senators owner Jerk Bob Short traded best part of Nats infield of 3rd baseman Aurilio Rodregud and ss Eddie Brinkman, ruining the team, for that soon to be 10, game winner McClain. Team falls apart and moves to Dallas in 1971. Pathetic owner and sick trade thatended baseball in DC until 2005.

[@69FOSTER]

Senators also traded pitcher Joe Coleman, along with Rodriguez and Brinkman. Senators wound up with nothing to show for the trade, except a 10-22 pitcher. In his first three seasons in Detroit after the trade, Coleman won 20, 19 and 23 games for the Tigers.

[@williamrogers9004]

This dude is pathological. Never took accountability foe a single crime (which there were several). Just admit u did it and rebuild your life, because nobody is fooled, it just makes u a liar Mr. Mclain

[@jeromemurphy2572]

Denny said he was stupid, that's really not true, he connived the people of Chesaning and pulled the wool over a lot of people's lives ... AGAIN.

[@drbonesshow1]

Wool never. Cashmere maybe. Signed, Thurston Howell III

[@johnwrumler]

What a shoddy, poor quality documentary. Comes off as not credible. I'm blown away at how amateurish this production is.

[@Lewis9709]

Why do you consider this shoddy and amateurish? I think it's an excellent documentary.

[@seanohare5488]

I agree

[@danacoleman4007]

@@seanohare5488 with who?

[@chrisdickey4641]

He is so annoying to hear speak.

[@jacksmith5692]

114 wins at age 25 and then he sucked going 17-34 and was done at age 28.

[@455Transam]

Threw his arm out....that's why pitchers don't pitch that much today.

[@petersanmiguel1164]

The guy needs Jesus. John 3:16.

[@wilde.coyote6618]

Me too, Pete

[@petersanmiguel1164]

@@wilde.coyote6618 John chapter 1 will tell you who Jesus is: verses 1 and 14. John chapter 3 will tell you how to be saved. If you need any help, let me know.

[@danacoleman4007]

@@petersanmiguel1164 😂😂😂😂😂

[@petersanmiguel1164]

@@danacoleman4007 hell is real. Don’t go there.

[@ray-jf4sh]

I believe he is a good man with a great wife.

[@JustAThought155]

Ugh! Sounds like he pitches in the blame game more than he ever pitched in the game of baseball. Pathetic!

[@seanohare5488]

Spot on

[@marissaangela9210]

The brainy disadvantage functionally desert because wealth contrarily grate anenst a knowing effect. agonizing, shallow edger

[@danacoleman4007]

That may be true, but how would you know?