Dean Chance
A ferociously competitive pitcher who spun his back to batters, won a Cy Young Award for a last-place team, and threw a no-hitter on LSD.
1941–2015 (age 74)·American baseball player·Birthday: June 1·The Silent Generation
Biography
Dean Chance was a baseball original, a right-handed fireballer whose unorthodox windup—where he turned his back completely to the hitter—became his signature. Signed out of an Ohio farm town, he exploded onto the scene with the Los Angeles Angels. In 1964, he authored one of the most dominant pitching seasons of the era, leading the league in wins, ERA, and complete games for a team that finished in the bottom half of the standings. That sheer will to win earned him the Cy Young Award. He was later traded to the Minnesota Twins and helped them reach the World Series in 1965. Chance's career was marked by extreme control; he was a notorious 'pitcher's pitcher' who worked quickly, hated walking batters, and lived on the edges of the plate. His later years were tinged with a wild anecdote he confirmed: that he pitched a 1969 no-hitter for the Twins while under the influence of LSD, a bizarre footnote to a fiercely competitive and memorable career.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Dean was born in 1941, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dean Was Born
The biggest hits of 1941
#1 Movie
Sergeant York
Best Picture
How Green Was My Valley
Dean's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1941Born
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1946Started school
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1954Became a teenager
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1957Could drive
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1959Could vote
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Turned 21
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1971Turned 30
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1981Turned 40
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 50
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 60
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 70
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2015Died at 74
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Won the American League Cy Young Award in 1964 with a 20-9 record, a 1.65 ERA, and 11 shutouts for the Los Angeles Angels.
- Pitched a no-hitter for the Minnesota Twins against the Cleveland Indians on August 6, 1969.
- Was a two-time All-Star (1964, 1967) and led the American League in innings pitched twice.
- Won 20 games in a season twice (1964 with Angels, 1967 with Twins).
Did You Know?
He later claimed he was under the influence of LSD when he pitched his 1969 no-hitter.
After baseball, he became a successful promoter in boxing and wrestling, and operated carnival games.
His full windup involved turning his back fully towards home plate before delivering the pitch.
He won the Cy Young Award when it was given to only one pitcher across all of Major League Baseball.
“I never looked at the hitter. I just got the sign from the catcher and went into my motion.”
