| John Denny | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1952-11-08)November 8, 1952 (age 72) Prescott, Arizona, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 12, 1974, for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 18, 1986, for the Cincinnati Reds | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 123–108 |
| Earned run average | 3.59 |
| Strikeouts | 1,146 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
John Allen Denny (born November 8, 1952) is an American former professionalbaseball right-handedpitcher who played inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theSt. Louis Cardinals,Cleveland Indians,Philadelphia Phillies, andCincinnati Reds, from1974 to1986.[1] Denny won theNational League (NL)Cy Young Award, in1983.
Denny was born in Prescott, Arizona, and attendedPrescott High School. He excelled at sports there, playing football and basketball as well as baseball.[2] In the1970 amateur draft, he was selected by the Cardinals in the 29th round. He made his professional debut that year at the age of 17. Denny pitched for the Triple-ATulsa Oilers in 1974 and went 9–8 with a 3.75earned run average.[3] He made his major league debut in September.
The next season, Denny started back in Tulsa but he pitched well and soon entered the St. Louisstarting rotation. In 1976, Denny had a breakout season. He led theNational League in ERA at 2.52 and was the best pitcher on the club. Due to poor run support, his record was just 11–9.
Denny also pitched well in 1978, going 14–11 with a 2.96 ERA, but he fell off badly in 1979 and was traded withJerry Mumphrey from the Cardinals to the Indians forBobby Bonds on December 7, 1979.[4] He continued his inconsistent pitching with the Indians, going 24-23 for them in three seasons. He pitched three straightshutouts late in 1981[5] and was rewarded with a three-year, $2 million contract after the season. Nine months later, he was traded to the Phillies.
In 1983, Denny enjoyed the best season of his career, going 19–6 with a 2.37 ERA. He topped the NL in wins and winning percentage and was second in ERA. He also led the Phillies to the NL championship. In that year's Cy Young Award voting, he received 20 of 24 first-place votes to win going away.[5]
Denny suffered arm problems late in his career. After 1983, he spent two more years in Philadelphia. After an 11–14 campaign, he was dealt along withJeff Gray from thePhillies to theReds forTom Hume andGary Redus on December 11, 1985.[6] He went 11–10 in 1986 and then retired from baseball.
Denny was rehabilitation coach for theArizona Diamondbacks organization from 2001 to 2004.