Von McDaniel

Who is Von McDaniel?

Max Von McDaniel was an American professional baseball player. Initially a right-handed pitcher, he was a rookie sensation at age 18 when, just days out of high school, he pitched a complete game, two-hit shutout for the St. Louis Cardinals in his first Major League start against the defending National League champion Brooklyn Dodgers on June 21, 1957. McDaniel went on to have a sparkling debut season in the Majors. He won his first four decisions, pitched 19 consecutive scoreless innings, bested his first start by recording a one-hitter, and posted a 7–5 win–loss record and a 3.22 earned run average in 17 games and 86⅔ innings. But a breakdown in his pitching mechanics resulted in severe control problems that curtailed both his mound and MLB careers and caused him to eventually become a third baseman in minor league baseball.

The younger brother of Lindy McDaniel, Von was born in Hollis, Oklahoma, and attended Arnett High School. Upon his 1957 graduation he signed with the Cardinals for a $50,000 bonus and was placed on the Redbirds' Major League roster per the bonus rules of the era. Lindy, then 21, was in his third season with the Cardinals; he was an established big leaguer who would win 15 games for St. Louis that season, and go on to pitch for 21 years in Major League Baseball. Von joined the Cardinals and pitched effectively in relief, gaining his first Major League win against the Dodgers at Ebbets Field with four innings of shutout relief five days prior to his June 21 debut as a starter. The McDaniels helped spur the Cardinals to a streak in which they won 18 of 24 games, rising to second place in the National League standings, where they finished at year's end.