This was the greatest year ever for pitchers. The league ERA plunged to 2.98; Carl Yastrzemski won the batting title with only a .301 average. Denny McLain of the Tigers won 31 games, the first pitcher to crack the 30-win plateau since Dizzy Dean in 1934 (and as of 1999, he is still the last pitcher to do it). The Tigers won the pennant, and defeated St. Louis in the World Series, though McLain was upstaged by teammate Mickey Lolich, who won three games against the Cards.

        McLain was only 24 years old, and was the unanimous winner of the Cy Young Award. He won a second award in 1969, then after that he put on weight, got hurt, was exiled to Washington, and eventually wound up in jail on racketeering charges. He was released from prison for a while, but last I heard Denny was back in the slammer for various infractions.
        Maybe I'm wrong, but I have a lot of trouble seeing McLain as a great pitcher. He was terrific, of course, and I wouldn't kick him off my team; he won two Cy Young Awards, and won 31 games this year. But he never won an ERA title, nor even came close. I have read many tales about the speed of McLain's fastball; once, I read that he threw it so hard that the backspin caused it to rise. But he was never a dominant strikeout pitcher; his teammate, Mickey Lolich, was always a better strikeout pitcher.
        I see McLain as basically a control pitcher, someone got gave up home runs and struck out his share of batters. Kind of like Fergie Jenkins or Robin Roberts, except his career was much shorter. He had a fluke 31-win season, just like Roberts once had a 28-win season. McLain was a bulldog, and tough as nails on the mound; but even at his peak, I doubt he was ever as good as Marichal, Gibson, or Seaver were in their best years. But maybe I had to have lived through the era in order to get a different perspective on the man's abilities.
        Luis Tiant is best remembered for his gutsy performances in the 1975 World Series, pitching well despite having little or nothing left in his arm. We forget that at one time, Tiant was an extreme power pitcher, as this season demonstrates. It was a great, flawless season, one of the best of the decade, and ranks only slightly behind McLain's. Next season, Tiant began to struggle, and suffer from injuries.
        Dave McNally had his first of four straight 20+ win seasons for Baltimore. He was a terrific pitcher, though his numbers this year (like all pitchers) were inflated far beyond his true abilities. Sam McDowell pitched for Cleveland, and was Tiant's teammate. He pitched nearly as well, but got stuck with a mediocre won-loss record. His numbers were so great, however, that I'll give him the edge over Stan Bahnsen, Mel Stottlemyre, and Wilbur Wood.