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Denny Lemaster
Denver Clayton Lemaster (February 25, 1939 – July 24, 2024) was an American professional baseball player and left-handed pitcher who appeared in 357 games over 11 seasons (1962–1972) for the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros and Montreal Expos. A one-time (1967) National League All-Star, Lemaster won 90 games over the course of his MLB career. He was listed as 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and 182 pounds (83 kg).
Lemaster was born in Corona, California, on February 25, 1939. His Missouri born father, Cyrus Lemaster, moved his family to Missouri, but returned to Ventura County, California for work on a dairy farm when Lemaster and his sister were young children. The farm also housed the Lemasters. In a tragic incident, while Lemaster was playing with his sister on dairy owned property, the ground gave way under his sister, swallowing her in a muck from which she could not escape, and help could not reach her before she died. Three years later, Cyrus would die in a car accident. The local community rallied to support Lemaster and his mother. Two decades later, his first wife Earlene was also killed in a car accident.
At 14, he joined a semi-pro baseball team, the Camarillo Blue Sox, which included adult players. Before he was 16, he was pitching for the Blue Sox.
Lemaster attended Oxnard High School in Oxnard, California. One of his high school teammates was future major league third baseman Ken McMullen. During high school, Lemaster threw seven no-hitters, one perfect game, and had a 0.14 ERA during his senior year in 1958. He was All-County from 1956-1958, and All-California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) from 1956-1958, CIF Player of the Year in 1958, and was selected Oxnard High's Player of the Year and Most Outstanding athlete in 1958.
Lemaster has been inducted into the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame.
He was pursued by major league baseball scouts upon graduating in 1958. The 19-year old Lemaster leveraged a scholarship offer from the University of Southern California in negotiations with the professional baseball scouts, and ultimately received an $80,000 bonus to sign with the Milwaukee Braves.
Lemaster was in the Braves minor league system from 1958 to 1962. In 1962, he began the year with the Louisville Colonels of the Triple-A American Association, and had a win-loss record of 10-4 with a 2.40 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 124 innings, before being called up to the Braves that year.
After rising through the team's farm system over through 41⁄2 years, he made his major league debut as the Braves' starting pitcher on July 15, 1962, against the defending league champion Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee County Stadium. He held a 2–1 lead going into the ninth inning, but a Vada Pinson home run, followed by an unearned run, saddled him with a 3–2, complete game defeat. He appeared in 17 games for the Braves in 1962, starting 12, with a 3-4 record and 3.01 ERA. He threw four complete games, one shutout and struck out 69 batters in 86.2 innings.
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Denny Lemaster
Denver Clayton Lemaster (February 25, 1939 – July 24, 2024) was an American professional baseball player and left-handed pitcher who appeared in 357 games over 11 seasons (1962–1972) for the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros and Montreal Expos. A one-time (1967) National League All-Star, Lemaster won 90 games over the course of his MLB career. He was listed as 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and 182 pounds (83 kg).
Lemaster was born in Corona, California, on February 25, 1939. His Missouri born father, Cyrus Lemaster, moved his family to Missouri, but returned to Ventura County, California for work on a dairy farm when Lemaster and his sister were young children. The farm also housed the Lemasters. In a tragic incident, while Lemaster was playing with his sister on dairy owned property, the ground gave way under his sister, swallowing her in a muck from which she could not escape, and help could not reach her before she died. Three years later, Cyrus would die in a car accident. The local community rallied to support Lemaster and his mother. Two decades later, his first wife Earlene was also killed in a car accident.
At 14, he joined a semi-pro baseball team, the Camarillo Blue Sox, which included adult players. Before he was 16, he was pitching for the Blue Sox.
Lemaster attended Oxnard High School in Oxnard, California. One of his high school teammates was future major league third baseman Ken McMullen. During high school, Lemaster threw seven no-hitters, one perfect game, and had a 0.14 ERA during his senior year in 1958. He was All-County from 1956-1958, and All-California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) from 1956-1958, CIF Player of the Year in 1958, and was selected Oxnard High's Player of the Year and Most Outstanding athlete in 1958.
Lemaster has been inducted into the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame.
He was pursued by major league baseball scouts upon graduating in 1958. The 19-year old Lemaster leveraged a scholarship offer from the University of Southern California in negotiations with the professional baseball scouts, and ultimately received an $80,000 bonus to sign with the Milwaukee Braves.
Lemaster was in the Braves minor league system from 1958 to 1962. In 1962, he began the year with the Louisville Colonels of the Triple-A American Association, and had a win-loss record of 10-4 with a 2.40 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 124 innings, before being called up to the Braves that year.
After rising through the team's farm system over through 41⁄2 years, he made his major league debut as the Braves' starting pitcher on July 15, 1962, against the defending league champion Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee County Stadium. He held a 2–1 lead going into the ninth inning, but a Vada Pinson home run, followed by an unearned run, saddled him with a 3–2, complete game defeat. He appeared in 17 games for the Braves in 1962, starting 12, with a 3-4 record and 3.01 ERA. He threw four complete games, one shutout and struck out 69 batters in 86.2 innings.