In 1956 every major league club was after this overpowering 17-year-old who had posted a 49-4 American Legion record, including four no-hitters and a 26-strikeout performance. The Giants signed McCormick for a reported $60,000 bonus and, under the rules of the time, had to bring him right to New York. Scared and wild, he lasted just three innings in his first start. In 1957, pitching mostly in relief, he became the youngest modern NL pitcher (18) to record three wins.

RELATED LINKS » 1967: The Fury at Fenway Book Excerpts » "A great comeback for a great guy": Orlando Cepeda Submissions » Major League Leaders Who Weren't: 1961's Unbalanced Schedule by Fred Worth

As McCormick matured, he gained greater success. On June 12, 1959, he threw a five-inning no-hitter against Philadelphia. He was the NL ERA leader in 1960 (2.70) when he went 15-12. But he dropped to 13-16 in 1961 when he allowed a league-high 33 home runs. He was plagued by arm trouble through 1962, and the hot-tempered pitcher was traded to Baltimore.

McCormick was returned to the minors before rebounding with the 1965 Senators. He recorded marks of 8-8 and 11-14 and was reacquired by the Giants in December 1966. He had lost his blazing fastball, but had mastered his breaking pitches and developed a screwball. In 1967 he went 22-10 (2.85), leading the NL in wins, and won the Cy Young and Comeback Player of the Year awards. Over the next two-plus seasons, he went 26-27 for San Francisco. He finished up in the Pacific Coast League. (NLM)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » August 28, 1956: The Giants sign 17-year-old lefty Mike McCormick to a bonus contract. » May 6, 1958: Giant Mike McCormick, 19, shuts out Pittsburgh 7–0 on three infield singles. Orlando Cepeda's first-inning home run helps put the game away. » May 13, 1960: Mike McCormick's shutout of the Dodgers is the 3rd straight by San Francisco pitchers, following 2-hitters against Philadelphia by Sam Jones and Jack Sanford. The first-place Giants have seven straight wins. » September 3, 1960: A battle of lefthanders features Sandy Koufax of the LA Dodgers against Mike McCormick of the San Francisco Giants. Felipe Alou's home run gives McCormick a 1–0 win, his 2nd 1–0 win against Los Angeles in 1960. » April 11, 1961: The wine of victory turns sour for the Giants in their home opener when Bill Virdon clouts a 2-out 3-run home run off reliever Mike McCormick to give the Pirates an 8–7 win. » May 10, 1961: Mike McCormick fires his 2nd 3-hit shutout of the year, stopping the Pirates, 3–0. The Giants are 3-up, 3-down in eight of the nine innings, but score three in the 5th, two on McCormick's single. » May 15, 1961: The Alou brothers and Orlando Cepeda lead an 18-hit attack as San Francisco overpowers the Cubs, 14–1. Dick Ellsworth gives up six runs in the 1st without retiring a batter. Cepeda hits two homers and a double and drives in five runs, while Felipe Alou hits his 1st grand slam and brother Matty Alou his first ML homer. Matty will combine with Jesus Alou in 1965 to homer in the same game. Mike McCormick is the easy winner. » August 4, 1961: At Candlestick, Warren Spahn wins his 299th game, 2–1, over the Giants. He gets a bit of help from Hank Aaron who leads of the 7th and 9th with homers off Mike McCormick. The Giants scoring is an Orlando Cepeda homer in the 5th. » August 22, 1961: The hot Giants sweep a pair from the National League-leading Reds, winning 12–2 and 5–3. Visiting SF features 20 hits in the opener to back Mike McCormick. Orlando Cepeda's 35th home run, NL high, starts the scoring in the nitecap, as Sam Jones and Stu Miller combine. Mays has his 32nd and 33rd homers in the twinbill. » December 15, 1962: The San Francisco Giants trade pitchers Stu Miller and Mike McCormick, along with C Johnny Orsino, to Baltimore for pitchers Jack Fisher and Billy Hoeft, and C Jim Coker. » July 2, 1966: Frank Howard, Don Lock, and Ken McMullen hit consecutive home runs with two outs in the 6th inning, and Mike McCormick pitches a complete game, as Washington defeats a winless Whitey Ford and the Yankees, 10–4. Mike McCormick is the winner for Washington, giving up five hits including a Mickey Mantle homer, his 14th, in the 9th. » December 13, 1966: The Giants trade P Bob Priddy and OF Cap Peterson to the Senators for P Mike McCormick. McCormick will win the Cy Young in 1967. » July 23, 1967: At Chicago, the Giants are 5–3 winners in Game One as Mike McCormick tops Fergie Jenkins. Jesus Alou hits his 2nd homer in three weeks off Jenkins. » October 31, 1967: San Francisco's Mike McCormick is the National League Cy Young Award winner, as pitchers are honored in each league for the first time.