Dizzy Dean

Dizzy Dean
Dean on the cover of Time magazine
Pitcher
Born: (1910-01-16)January 16, 1910 Lucas, Arkansas
Died: July 17, 1974(1974-07-17) (aged 64) Reno, Nevada
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 28, 1930, for the St. Louis Cardinals
Last MLB appearance
September 28, 1947, for the St. Louis Browns
MLB statistics
Win–Loss record	150–83
Earned run average	3.02
Strikeouts	1,163
Teams
St. Louis Cardinals (1930, 1932–1937) Chicago Cubs (1938–1941) St. Louis Browns (1947)
Career highlights and awards
4× All-Star (1934–1937) World Series champion (1934) NL MVP (1934) 2× MLB wins leader (1934, 1935) 4× MLB strikeout leader (1932–1935) St. Louis Cardinals #17 retired St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Inducted	1953
Vote	79.17% (ninth ballot)

Jay Hanna "Dizzy" Dean (January 16, 1910 – July 17, 1974), also known as Jerome Herman Dean, was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Browns. A brash and colorful personality, Dean was the last National League pitcher to win 30 games in one season. After his playing career, he became a popular television sports commentator. Dean was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953. When the Cardinals reopened the team Hall of Fame in 2014, Dean was inducted among the inaugural class.

Dean was best known for winning 30 games in the 1934 season while leading the 1934 "Gashouse Gang" St. Louis team to the National League Pennant and the World Series win over the Detroit Tigers. He had a 30–7 record with a 2.66 ERA during the regular season. His brother, Paul, was also on the team, with a record of 19-11, and was nicknamed "Daffy", although this was usually only done for press consumption. Though "Diz" sometimes called his brother "Daf", he typically referred to himself and his brother as "Me an' Paul". Continuing the theme, the team included Dazzy Vance and Joe "Ducky" Medwick.

The Gashouse Gang was the southernmost and westernmost team in the major leagues at the time, and became a de facto "America's Team." Team members, particularly Southerners such as the Dean brothers and Pepper Martin, became folk heroes in Depression-ravaged America. Americans saw in these players, dirty and hustling rather than handsome and graceful, a spirit of hard work and perseverance, as opposed to the haughty, highly paid New York Giants, whom the Cardinals chased for the National League pennant.