Happy Birthday: Dave Lemanczyk
Today marks Dave Lemanczyk’s 76th birthday. Dave was a starting pitcher for the Blue Jays during their inaugural season. He started the second game in franchise history, recording the team’s first-ever loss. He was a solid pitcher, selected from the Detroit Tigers in the Expansion Draft. The draft itself was something of a sucker’s bet; […]
Canada, May 28: Dave Lemanczyk, who missed much of the previous season due to injury, takes to the mound for the Blue Jays against the Seattle Mariners at the start of the American League season. Reflecting on his birthday, Lemanczyk reveals that his primary concern now is maintaining his ability to throw strikes. The 76-year-old was a starting pitcher for Toronto during the team's inaugural campaign, appearing in the game that marked the franchise's first loss.
Drafted from the Detroit Tigers in the Expansion Draft, Lemanczyk found success early, tallying career-highs in wins, starts, and innings pitched while setting a new high with 13 victories. Despite a heavy workload in 1977, Lemanczyk rebounded in '78, leading the team in victories before injuries sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
The Blue Jays traded him to the Angels during the 1980 season, and Lemanczyk retired from Major League Baseball at age 30, concluding his career with a 37-63 record, a 4.62 ERA, and 103 starts. Post-retirement, he ventured into scouting for the Yankees before eventually opening a baseball academy. Happy birthday, Dave. May your day be filled with joy.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
