#441 Denver Lemaster

When I was five or six years old, one of my favorite cartoons was Denver the Last Dinosaur. Why did he skateboard and play an electric guitar? Well, it WAS the 1980s. Anyways, to my knowledge Denver "Denny" Lemaster is not a dinosaur or a rock star. But he has probably aged better than that TV show.

Fun facts about Denny Lemaster:

-Born in Corona, CA, Denny signed with the Braves in 1958 for a $60,000 bonus.

-He struggled with wildness in the minors, walking 122 and 126 in back-to-back years. He began the 1962 season with a 10-4 record and a 2.40 ERA at AAA Louisville, and lowered his walk total to 41 in 124 innings to earn a July promotion to the major leagues.

-As a rookie, Lemaster completed 4 of his 12 starts, including a six-hit shutout of the Phillies on September 12. Overall he was 3-4 with a 3.01 ERA.

-In 1963, he had an 11-14 record despite a 3.04 ERA and a team-high 190 strikeouts.

-Though his earned run average jumped to 4.15 in 1964, he went 17-11 to set a personal best in wins, and again paced the Braves with 185 strikeouts.

-Denny was an All-Star in 1967, when he was 7-2 with a 2.82 ERA at the break. He ran out of steam in the second half and finished 9-9 with a 3.34 ERA.

-He pitched a pair of one-hitters in his career: a 1-0 victory over the Reds on September 11, 1964 and a 2-0 decision over the Cardinals on May 24, 1967.

-Was traded to the Astros following the 1967 season and was a dependable starter over the next two years, with a 3.00 ERA and a misleading 23-32 record.

-In 1971, Houston sent Lemaster to the bullpen and he held righthanded batters to a .229 average while running up a 3.45 ERA.

-His final season was 1972, as he struggled with the Expos and was released in July. In parts of 11 seasons he was 90-105 with a 3.58 ERA.