Don McMahon

Donald John McMahon (January 4, 1930 - July 22, 1987) spent 18 years as a right-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher, gaining a reputation as one of the game’s best relievers of the 1960s. McMahon signed with the Boston Braves as an amateur free agent in 1950, but would spend more than five years in the minors and two years in the armed forces before finally debuting with the Milwaukee Braves (1957-1962). In 1957, McMahon posted a 1.54 ERA with nine saves in 32 games, helping the team take World Series glory. The next year, McMahon added eight saves and was selected as a member of the 1958 All-Star Game. His good fortune continued in 1959 as McMahon led the league in saves (15) and games finished (49). After taking the mound for the Houston Colt .45’s (1962-1963), Cleveland Indians (1964-1966), Boston Red Sox (1966-1967), and Chicago White Sox (1967-1968), Don joined the Detroit Tigers (1968-1969) and helped the club win the 1968 World Series. (In 20 games for Detroit during the regular season, McMahon had a 2.02 ERA with a 3-1 record). He ended his playing days with the San Francisco Giants (1969-1974), and retired with a 90-68 record, a 2.96 ERA, 153 saves, and 506 games finished. When he left the mound, McMahon ranked in the Top 10 for games pitched seven times, saves seven times, games finished eight times, and one time each for wild pitches, hit batsmen, and winning percentage. He went on to act as coach for the Giants, Minnesota Twins, and Cleveland Indians in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers.