1970 Profile: Lindy McDaniel

"The new strike zone was a problem for relief pitcher Lindy McDaniel last season. A sinkerball specialist with a high kick, he had trouble adjusting to the lower mound, with the result that he had one of his less successful years. But the old pro, a veteran of 16 years in the major leagues, found the range during the last half of the season and allowed earned runs in only two of his last 17 relief assignments as he won two, lost two - one of which resulted from an unearned run - and saved four to bring his seasonal ERA down to 3.54 from 4.26.
Lindy has had to make adjustments before in his long, successful career, most of which was spent in the National League with the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants. He started as side-arm pitcher, adjusted to three-quarters overhand, then to complete overhand. After every adjustment, Lindy has come on stronger than before.
The two-time winner of the Fireman of the Year Award, who's 34, is all pro and all man. He lives in Baytown, Texas with his wife and three children. He is a preacher in the Church of Christ and plans to make religion his life's work when he retires from baseball."

-The New York Yankees Official 1970 Yearbook

"Lindy had somewhat of an off season last year. He came on strong at the end, however, allowing earned runs in just two of his last 17 relief appearances as he won two, lost two and saved four; one of the losses was the result of an unearned run. He posted an ERA of 1.93 during this stretch to bring his seasonal ERA down to 3.54.
Many thought his early [season] problems stemmed from the lowering of the mound and the shortened strike zone introduced in 1969, as Lindy was mainly a sinkerball pitcher with a high leg kick delivery during his success of 1968. The Old Pro seemed to finally adjust during the last half of the season and provided the Yankees with some fine relief outings.
Stopping rallies is nothing new to this fellow, as he won the Fireman of the Year Award twice, in 1960 and 1963, and has been one of the game's top relief specialists for the past 11 years. Lindy tied an American League record in 1968 (August 18-25) when he hurled 10 and two-thirds hitless innings and retired 32 straight batters over four games.
A veteran of 15 years in the major leagues, he received a reported $50,000 bonus to sign with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1955. Except for a brief period in 1958, Lindy has spent his entire baseball career in the major leagues. He has two brothers who also played in the Cardinal organization, Von and Kerry Don.
A preacher during the off-season, Lindy was nicknamed by his father after Charles Lindbergh, the famous flyer."

-1970 New York Yankees Press-TV-Radio Guide