1969 Profile: Lindy McDaniel

"There he was, languishing in the San Francisco bullpen, and then suddenly he was the leader of the Yankee rescue squad. How do you explain like that?
'I can't explain it,' says Lindy. 'All I know is that Ralph Houk is something new in managers for me, and the whole club just seemed to accept me. It was like starting a new career. Ralph has a way about him.'
That's a pretty good explanation. McDaniel, who's 33, was a top reliever for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1960 and 1961, but he sagged. He changed his style and climbed back up. But in his opinion the Yankees have been the best thing that has happened to him.
Lindy rates a save more important than a victory.
'A save gives the whole team a pick-up because they have survived a tough spot and won. It also gives one of our starters another victory. And that's important to them.'
Talk like that isn't calculated to make you unpopular with anyone.
'The arrival of Lindy McDaniel turned everything around for us,' says Ralph Houk. 'We were losing games in the eighth and ninth innings because no one in the bullpen could lock up these games. Not only did he do this, he helped the entire bullpen.'
Lindy - who was nicknamed by his father after Col. Charles A. Lindbergh, the famous flyer - lives in Baytown, Texas with his wife and three children. In the off-season he is a preacher in the Church of Christ and he plans to make religion his life's work when his playing days are over.'

-The New York Yankees Official 1969 Yearbook

"Lindy was one of the prime reasons for the Yankees' second-half surge [in 1968] to the first division and only one and a half games [out of] third place. He was obtained from the Giants on July 12 in exchange for Bill Monbouquette. The Yankees were 38-43 at the time, in eighth place, 16 games behind. They were 45-36 for the rest of the year with McDaniel providing the end relief help by winning four, losing one and saving ten other games. He had a terrific stretch between August 18 and August 25 when he hurled 10 and two-thirds hitless innings and retired 32 straight batters over four games, tying an American League record.
Stopping rallies is nothing new to Lindy, as he won the Fireman of the Year Award in 1960 and 1963, and has been known as one of the top relief specialists for the past ten years. He is a veteran of 14 years in the major leagues.
Lindy received a reported $50,000 bonus to sign with the Cardinals in 1955. He has had two brothers in the Cardinal organization, Von and Kerry Don. Lindy, whose winter occupation is that of a preacher, was nicknamed by his father after Col Charles Lindbergh, the famous flyer."

-1969 New York Yankees Press-TV-Radio Guide