All-Time Indians: Cal McLish

Cal McLish was given his lengthy name in 1925 and signed by the Dodgers at the age of 18 in 1944. While he made his debut that season, military duty called and Cal would miss the entire 1945 season and all but two batters in 1946. Despite not being given much of a shot, McLish was dismissed at the end of the season, joining the Yankees briefly in 1947, then later on the Pirates and eventually the Cubs in 1949. After pitching 84 innings in his first season in Brooklyn, McLish wouldn’t break 25 MLB innings in a season again until 1951. That one season would be an irregularity as spent from 1952 through 1955 with Los Angeles in the Cubs minor league system before being sold to the Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres to finish out the year. At the age of 30, with an 8-21 record, 5.88 ERA and just 77 strike outs in 258.2 innings, there was little hope. Fortunately for McLish, the Indians were in desperate need of pitching.

In October of 1955, McLish was signed as a free agent by Cleveland and finally broke back into the Major Leagues. He was used as a reliever and spot starter in 1956, compiling a 4.96 ERA in 61.2 innings with more walks than strike outs, again playing near his MLB averages to this point. While the Indians had a stellar starting rotation in 1956, including Herb Score, Early Wynn, Bob Lemon and Mike Garcia along with top relievers like Ray Narleski and Don Mossi, the late 1950’s Indians were a team in flux due to the aging of a championship quality team and the excessive wheeling and dealing by new General Manager Frank Lane. The injury to Score, near retirement of Bob Feller and Lemon and trades of almost the entire team opened up more opportunities for a seemingly very average 31 year old pitcher.

McLish finally took advantage of that chance in 1957. In 42 games, including seven spot starts, he posted career lows in ERA (2.74), and WHIP (1.28) in 144.1 innings, showing the quality of talent that can keep an aging pitcher who has never proved himself around. The following season, Wynn, Score, Garcia, Mossi and Lemon were all removed from the starting rotation one way or another and McLish’s 1957 performance made him one of the four relievers turned starters that made up the rotation (along with Gary Bell, Mudcat Grant and Narleski). That year, McLish  was even better, posting a 2.99 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP with a career best 16 wins including 13 complete games after making only 42 starts previously in his career. In addition to his 30 starts, he made nine relief appearances as well, totaling 225.2 innings. Of all the relievers conversions, McLish had the most wins, best ERA and most innings, although he still managed the fewest strike outs.

In the following season, Score was back, although at a diminished level, as were Grant and Bell, but outside of the newcomer, Jim Perry, McLish was again the top Indians starter. Stepping up to the role again, he lead was the team’s only pitcher to make at least 30 starts, setting career bests with 235.1 innings and 113 strike outs. In addition, he won a team high 19 games, earning him MVP consideration for the second straight season (he finished 14th in 1958), coming in 11th with 10% of the vote. Finishing ahead of McLish were teammates Rocky Colavito and Tito Francona (Minnie Minosa and Vic Power each received votes as well) as Nellie Fox of the White Sox won the AL award.

In December of that year, McLish was traded to Cincinnati at the peak of his value. Included in the deal were Gordy Coleman and Billy Martin were sent to the Redlegs in exchange for three time All-Star Johnny Temple. Temple would play just one season in Cleveland, but it was an All-Star one and McLish would have a similar stay in Cincinnati, being traded by the Reds exactly a year after coming to town. He would go on to play five more professional seasons after leaving Cleveland with the Reds, White Sox and Phillies, but he was never able to repeat his three year run with the Tribe. Over his final four seasons, McLish held an ERA of 3.95 in 683.1 innings. After a kind of resurrection in 1963 with the Phillies, he would ultimately retire after pitching just five more innings in 1964, ending his career at the age of 38.

Already a veteran presence, McLish would go on to coach, scout and train players in the Majors from 1965 all the way until 2005 with Seattle. He spent most of this time with the Phillies and Expos before joining the Mariners and was used as a Major League pitching coach on multiple occasions. After retiring for good in 2005, McLish would live just five more years, dying in 2010 at the age of 84.