Former Cardinals pitcher Lindy McDaniel died Saturday at the age of 84 of COVID-19. The Oklahoma native pitched for the Cards, Cubs, Giants, Yankees and Royals from 1955-75. McDaniel was primarily a closer and long man in his eight seasons in St. Louis. The two-time All-Star finished with a 141-and-119 career record, 3.45 ERA, and 174 saves. McDaniel appeared in nearly 1,000 major-league games over 21 seasons. McDaniel debuted with the St. Louis Cardinals as a 19-year-old in 1955 and won 15 games as a starter at the age of 21. Two years later he moved to the bullpen, went 12-4 and finished third in Cy Young Award voting. He led the majors with 27 saves in 1960.
McDaniel became a Christian minister in retirement and preached in his hometown of Hollis, Okla., and later in Texas.
Here’s a great story written by Sports Illustrated in 1957 on Lindy and his family.
