Dizzy Dean (1953)


Date of Birth: 1/16/1910
Date of Death: 7/17/1974
Birthplace: Lucas, Arkansas

Dizzy Dean who pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and St. Louis Browns (modern day Baltimore Orioles) had a brother, Paul "Daffy" Dean, who was also a Cardinals pitcher. Each brother won two games for the Cardinals in the 1934 World Series.

St. Louis Cardinals

Dean signed with the Cardinals prior to the 1930 season and he started his major league career that year, playing in one game with the team. He spent the rest of the season in the minors. He continued to play in the minors through the 1931 season. He joined the Cardinals again in 1932 for 46 games.

Dean led the NL in strikeouts, games played, and complete games in 1933. He finished the season with 20 wins and 18 losses, 4 saves, a career high 199 strikeouts to 64 walks, and a 3.04 ERA in 293.0 innings in 48 games. He pitched 26 complete games.

In 1934, Dean won the NL MVP award, the Sporting News MVP award, and the Associated Press Athlete of the Year award. He led the league in wins and strikeouts that year. He finished the season with a career high 30 wins to 7 losses, 7 saves, 195 strikeouts to 75 walks, and a 2.66 ERA in 17 games as a starting pitcher and 33 games in relief.

Dean led the NL in wins, strikeouts, innings pitched, and complete games in 1935. He had career highs in innings pitched (325.1) and complete games pitched (29). He had 28 wins and 12 losses, 190 strikeouts to 77 walks, and a 3.04 ERA in 50 games. The next year, he again led the NL in games played, innings pitched, and complete games. He finished the 1936 season with 24 wins and 13 losses, 11 saves, 195 strikeouts to 53 walks, and a 3.17 ERA in 315.0 innings in a career high 51 games. He pitched 28 complete games.

Chicago Cubs

Dean suffered an injury in the 1937 All Star Game that eventually led to a greater injury to his throwing arm. Following that season, he moved to the Chicago Cubs, playing with them through the 1941 season.

In 1938, his first season in Chicago, Dean pitched 74.2 innings in 13 games. He had 7 wins and 1 loss and a 1.81 ERA. The next year, he had a 3.36 ERA in 96.1 innings in 19 games. He pitched just 54.0 innings in 10 games in 1940, and he had a 5.17 ERA. He finished his career with the Cubs with just one inning of play in 1941.

Dean attempted a comeback in 1947 with the St. Louis Browns but he pitched in just one game with them.

Awards and MLB Records

  • NL MVP
  • Associated Press Athlete of the Year
  • Sporting News MVP
  • Led the NL in wins (2 times)
  • Led the NL in strikeouts (4 times)
  • Led the NL in games played (2 times)
  • Led the NL in innings pitched (3 times)
  • Led the NL in complete games (3 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Dean in 9 seasons (1931-1940) in the major leagues include:

  • 4 seasons with 20 or more wins, with a high of 30 in 1934
  • 5 seasons with over 150 strikeouts, with a high of 199 in 1933
  • 3 seasons with an ERA under 3.00, with a low of 1.81 in 1938 in 13 games

Career pitching statistics for Dean include:

  • 317 games played
  • 1,967.1 innings pitched
  • 150-83 win-loss record
  • 1,163 strikeouts to 453 walks
  • 3.02 ERA

Post Playing Career

After leaving major league baseball as a player, Dean started a second successful career as a radio and TV broadcaster. He started that career in 1941 and it lasted through 1968.

Dean was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1953 on the ninth ballot with 79.2% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Dizzy Dean
ESPN - Dizzy Dean
Baseball Reference - Dizzy Dean

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