Denny Lemaster, a pitcher whose 11-year career included an All-Star berth in 1967, has died at age 85. The left-hander pitched for the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves (1962-67), Houston Astros (1968-71), and Montreal Expos (1972). Pitching mostly for second-division teams, Lemaster had a career mark of 90-105 with a 3.58 ERA and 1.288 WHIP. He tossed 66 complete games and recorded 14 shutouts. His winningest year was 1964, when he was 17-11 for Milwaukee. But it was 1967 when he was named to the National League All-Star Game. He didn’t appear in the game and finished that year at 9-9 with a 3.34 ERA. Lemaster featured a hard fastball and a sharp-breaking curveball.
Denny Lemaster Passes Away https://t.co/pG8Q0Pvk5C pic.twitter.com/DM0B4y1Lfu
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1967 All-Star Pitcher Denny Lemaster Has Died
Lemaster was a California kid, born in Corona. His family moved to Oxnard when he was seven years old. When he was 12, his sister died when the ground beneath her collapsed, sending her 35 feet down into a cesspool of raw sewage. His father died in a car accident three years later. (He would also lose his first wife to a car accident in the 1970s.)
Lemaster pitched for Oxnard High School and was good enough to receive a scholarship offer from the University of Southern California. There was no draft in those days. After his high school graduation ceremony, he returned home to see his humble street lined with cars. The vehicles belonged to baseball scouts, who promptly started an on-the-spot bidding war for his services. His mother didn’t understand baseball. At age 19, Lemaster had to negotiate his own contract. He used his scholarship offer from USC to squeeze an $80,000 signing bonus from the Braves. The year was 1958.
At His Best Against the Best
Lemaster seemed to be at his best against the best. On August 9, 1966, the Braves showed up for work at Atlanta Stadium, only to learn that their manager, Bobby Bragan, had been fired. His first base coach, Billy Hitchcock, was named interim manager. Hitchcock told United Press International that his team “would play like pennant contenders for the remainder of the season.”
Lemaster was scheduled to face the eventual NL pennant-winning Los Angeles Dodgers and their legendary hurler Sandy Koufax. Lemaster didn’t let the events of the day become a distraction. Neither did Atlanta’s leadoff batter, Felipe Alou. Alou led off the game with a home run against Koufax. However, Koufax buckled down and retired the next 15 in a row. Meanwhile, Lemaster matched Koufax’s greatness and was pitching a no-hitter through seven innings. He lost the no-hitter and shutout when Jim Lefebvre led off the eighth with a homer.
Now tied 1-1, Koufax “seemed invincible,” according to UPI. Suddenly he was vincible. While Lemaster ensured that the Dodgers’ hopes for a victory died, the Braves’ Eddie Mathews beat Koufax with a home run deep into the right field seats to win the game, 2-1. Lemaster’s line for the day showed nine innings pitched, allowing one earned run and three hits, while striking out 10 and walking two.
“I Stuck Mainly with My Fastball”
On May 24, 1967, Lemaster was at it again, tossing a one-hitter and besting the eventual world champion St. Louis Cardinals and their ace, Bob Gibson, 2-0. The only hit Lemaster allowed was a third-inning single by Lou Brock. Gibson tossed a three-hitter, but one of those hits was a two-run homer in the fifth inning by Alou. In addition to the one hit, Lemaster allowed four walks and struck out four.
Lemaster told UPI, “I was having a hard time getting my curve down. I stuck mainly with my fastball for two reasons: I was getting it over the plate and I was getting batters out.” Lemaster was glad that his no-hit bid died in the third inning. “I’m glad (Brock’s hit) came when it did if it had to come at all, because that took off the pressure of having to worry about a no-hitter.”
Lemaster came up big again on June 22, 1969, pitching for the Astros against the San Diego Padres and Joe Niekro. For 6 1/3 innings, Niekro had a no-hitter going, although he was helped when the Astros’ Sandy Valdespino hit an apparent third-inning double, only to be called out for missing first base. All the while, Lemaster held the Padres scoreless. Finally, the Astros scored a run in both the seventh and eighth innings to win it, 2-0. Lemaster’s day included nine innings pitched, five hits and one walk allowed, and seven strikeouts.
The Last Word
Denny Lemaster died on July 25. His death became known to the baseball world only recently. He was living in Monroe, Georgia. According to his death notice in the Monroe Local, after his career was over, he was a custom home builder and Master Duck Carver. Baseball fans of a certain age will remember him for how he carved up his opponents.
Photo Credit: © Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
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