Dean Chance

Wilmer Dean Chance (June 1, 1941 – October 11, 2015) was an American professional baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, he played 11 Major League Baseball seasons for the Los Angeles / California Angels, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets and Detroit Tigers. Chance pitched with a touch of wildness and a distinctive delivery: he never looked at home plate once he took the sign from his catcher, instead turning his back fully toward the hitter in mid-windup before spinning and unleashing a fastball, sinker or sidearm curveball.

In 1964, while with the Los Angeles Angels, Chance became the youngest pitcher at the time to win the Cy Young Award. He led the American League in wins (20), innings pitched (278⅓) and earned run average (1.65), the last a franchise record as of 2023, and finished third in the league in strikeouts. He threw 11 shutouts that season — also a franchise record as of 2024 — winning five of them by a 1–0 score. At the time, only one Cy Young Award was given across all of Major League Baseball; separate awards for the American and National Leagues were not introduced until 1967.