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Dean Chance

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Baseball Player

The Resume

    (June 1, 1941-October 11, 2015)
    Born in Wooster, Ohio
    Birth name was Wilmer Dean Chance
    Pitcher for the California Angels (1961-66), Minnesota Twins (1967-69), Cleveland Indians (1970), New York Mets (1970) and Detroit Tigers (1971)
    128-115 win-loss record
    2.92 career ERA
    1,534 strikeouts
    Two-time All-Star (1964,1967)
    Major League Cy Young Award winner (1964)
    Managed boxer Ernie Shavers
    Founder (1994) and first president of the International Boxing Association

Why he might be annoying:

    He and roommate Bo Belinsky were the 'bad boys' of the Angels, breaking curfews and hitting the Hollywood hot spots.
    Belinsky said, 'Dean and I were a marriage made in heaven or hell.'
    A sportswriter noted, 'He wasn't a 9 to 5 guy, unless it was 9 PM to 5AM.'
    He led the AL four seasons in errors by a pitcher (1963,1966-67,1971).
    His .066 batting average is the worst for any player with at least five hundred plate appearances in their career.
    He injured his back after rushing to get back in shape after holding out at the start of the 1969 season, after which his career went rapidly downhill.

Why he might not be annoying:

    His 52 wins for Northwestern High School remains an Ohio state record after more than five decades.
    During his Cy Young winning season, his ERA was 1.65 and he pitched 11 shutouts, both of which remain franchise records (as of 2015).
    He had a reputation as a Yankee killer, with Mickey Mantle saying, 'Every time I see his name on a lineup card, I feel like throwing up.'
    He remained lifelong friends with Belinsky and would refuse to attend autograph shows unless Bo was also invited.
    After retiring from baseball, he had a successful career running games of skill at carnivals.
    Before getting tired of the travel and retiring from the carnival biz, he employed over 250 people and ran 40 games just at the Ohio State Fair.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 14 Votes: 21.43% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 248 Votes: 49.60% Annoying