Ultimate Mets Database - Memories of Dean Chance

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Dean Chance
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Memories of
Dean Chance

Dean Chance
Ultimate Mets Database popularity ranking: 569 of 1252 players

Wilmer Dean Chance
Born: June 1, 1941 at Wooster, O.
Died: October 11, 2015 at Wooster, O.
Throws: Right Bats: Right
Height: 6.03 Weight: 200

Dean Chance was the most popular Ultimate Mets Database daily lookup on June 1, 2020.

First Mets game: September 20, 1970
Last Mets game: September 25, 1970

Winner of American League Cy Young award, 1964. (Los Angeles Angels)

Share your memories of Dean Chance

HERE IS WHAT OTHER METS FANS HAVE TO SAY:

billyJ
November 2, 2001
My Mother used to work in a drugstore in Orrville,OH, not far from where Dean was born. It had to be the mid-60's, I was a kid, and Dean would visit the store. I was not real familiar with him, but my Mother would give me a pen and paper, and I would run over to get his autograph. The good old days

Gary from Chesapeake
May 5, 2002
September 1970: Mets acquire Wilmer Dean Chance (the second "Wilmer" on the Mets after Wilmer "Vinegar Bend" Mizell). What a throw-back to the early 60's Mets! Get 'em past their prime! Cy Young award and everything! He was tough in those two innings, wasn't he?

Steve Green
July 26, 2002
One of my favorite ballplayers of all time. That pitching motion, halfway through which his back uniform number faced the batter, was as amazing to watch as it was difficult to execute, similar in a way to Bob Gibson's style, nothing but uniform numbers and a glove and elbows and then the ball out of nowhere at the batter. My Dad says Freddie Fitzsimmons was another with a similar back-to-the- plate windup. Looked a little overweight when he wore the Mets uniform, though.
I forget the year (64 maybe?) when he was the AL pitcher in the Shea all-star game and Ron Hunt ripped a pitch of his down the line for a single.

mets
May 29, 2003
Dean Chance won the Cy Young award with the Angels. He also liked to party as is evidenced with friendship with the late Bo Belinsky of the Angels. He pitched in the All Star Game in 1964 at Shea Stadium, the only All Star Game ever hosted at Big Shea. Ron Hunt got a base hit off him. After leaving baseball, Chance became a fight promoter.

Bob Finkel
April 30, 2004
My favorite all-time player. He was such a dominating pitcher with the Angels in 1964 and later with the Twins, especially 1967 and 1968. Too bad he was past his prime when he joined the Mets (my favorite team). He had injured his arm in the spring of 1969 and was never the same after that. He was only 30 years old when he retired and with today's medical breakthroughs, who knows, maybe he could have had surgery and prolonged his career.

Bob P
March 5, 2005
Dean Chance had quite a summer of 1967 pitching for the Twins....on June 11 he pitched a one-hitter against the A's; on August 6 he threw a rain-shortened five-inning perfect game against the Red Sox; and on August 26 he threw a no-hitter against Cleveland and won 2-1.
But Dean will likely be remembered for losing to Jim Lonborg on the final day of the 1967 season at Fenway Park when the two teams were tied for first place going to the final game.
Chance also won five 1-0 games while with the Angels in 1964. That tied a major league record held by four other pitchers.

RF Mojica
December 17, 2007
Can't believe Dean Chance only played 3 games for the Mets, because I remember seeing him pitch for them. He did get on a 1971 Topps baseball card as a member of the Mets (I know coz I still have it.) I don't remember if they both got to New York around the same time, but I remember Chance coming to the Mets and Steve Barber coming to the Yankees. Neither team was very good at the time, and the respective announcers of the two teams insisted that they would be great pick ups for their respective teams if only they could get their health back and regain the form that made them great young pitchers.
Ahhh, how hope springs eternal in baseball!

NYB Buff
August 11, 2015
Dean pitched in three games with the Mets in 1970. I remember that in a photo from the Mets yearbook in 1971 (which was released before his trade to the Tigers), he was shown next to Tom Seaver and wearing number 27. In other pictures in the book, he wears uniform #32.
The information on this website indicates that Dean had #27 as a Met. However, baseball-reference.com says he had #32. What number did Dean REALLY wear for those three games with the orange and blue in '70? Does anyone know?

Glenn-Troy NY
October 13, 2015
Have a wire photo showing Seaver and Chance in the locker room talking how the 1964 Cy Young winner was going to be a teammate of the 1969 Cy Young winner. Dean was past his prime however. RIP.

Larry’s “Fake-Mets”Memories
November 23, 2021
My “memory” of him was his photo in the Mets 1971 yearbook. All year I was curious about his absence: Why wasn’t Gil Hodges using him? He never made it to ‘71. This illustrates my prime complaint I have about this database : What relevance does he have to Mets history? They took a Chance in pursuit of a re-peat, and lost: a very brief & ineffective stint in the heat of the 1970 NLE pennant race that ended with the Mets dethroned by Pitts. and settling for third place. What frightens me: when one of these Fake Mets dies, a headline writer who doesn’t know better will write: “Ex-Met Great — Who, What, When, Really? - has passed away.” But Tom Terrific?: “Ex-MLB player Seaver dead.” Obscene! The appropriate headline for Dino: “Ex-Cy Young winner Chance has been reunited with the Angels, Forever!”