In 1964, Dean Chance pitched perhaps the greatest single season in Angels’ history. He led the league with 20 wins, a 1.65 ERA, 15 complete games, 11 shutouts (T8th all-time), and 278 1/3 innings. His totals also included 207 strikeouts, a 1.006 WHIP, and even 4 saves.
Chance pitched 3 shutout innings in the All-Star game, but didn’t really catch fire until after the break, when he won 9 straight games, including six shutouts. His six 1-0 victories that year tied a ML record for the most such victories in a season.
Perhaps most amazing of all, in five games against the Yankees, Chance went 4-0, allowing only one run in 50 innings of work against the best team in baseball. In the one game he didn’t win, Chance pitched 14 shutout innings, allowing only 3 hits, and striking out 12 in what he considered the greatest outing of his career.
At a time when only one Cy Young Award was awarded among all major league pitchers, his brilliant performance even outshone Sandy Koufax. He won the award with 85% of the vote, becoming the youngest pitcher to win the award. It was the only year Koufax failed to win the award during his most dominant stretch from 1963-1966.
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