Former Houston Astros Starting Pitcher Dies at 85

The Houston Astros lost a connection to their teams from the 1960s as Denny LeMaster passed away.

Feb 17, 2024; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; Detail photo of Houston Astros spring training cap. during workouts at spring training. / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Denny Lemaster, who played with three Major League teams, including the Houston Astros, died last month at 85 years old.

The news of Lemaster’s death was released by a Georgia funeral home.

Lemaster joined the Astros in 1968 after his only All-Star season with Atlanta in 1967. Lemaster was dealt to Houston with Denis Menke for infielders Sonny Jackson and Chuck Harrison.

The left-hander had a reputation as a workhorse before he arrived in Houston and lived up to that reputation in his first two seasons with the Astros, as he went 10-15 in 1968 and 13-17 in 1969 while throwing nearly 475 innings in that span.

The Astros made him a part-time starter in 1970, where he went 7-12 in 39 games (21 starts) and followed that with an 0-2 season in 1971 in 42 games, all in relief.

He left Houston after the 1972 season and spent one final season in the Majors with Montreal, where he went 2-0 in 13 appearances, all in relief. He retired after the season.

Lemaster made his MLB debut with the Milwaukee Braves in 1962 and pitched his first six seasons with the franchise and had his best season in 1964, as he went 17-11 with a 4.15 ERA in 39 games (35 starts).

In his All-Star campaign of 1967, he went 9-9 with a 3.34 ERA in 31 starts.

For his career he went 90-105 with a 3.58 ERA in 357 games (249 starts), with 1,305 strikeouts and 600 walks. With Houston he went 30-46 with a 3.40 ERA in 152 games (90 starts) with 450 strikeouts and 231 walks.

In his career he also threw two one-hitters, both of which came with the Braves, along with a career-high 14 strikeouts in a game in 1966.

Born in Corona, Calif., in 1939, Milwaukee signed him to a $70,000 bonus contract after he graduated from Oxnard High School. He spent nearly five years in the Braves’ minor league system before he made his MLB debut in 1962 against the then-defending NL champion Cincinnati Reds.

In a 1993 profile in the Los Angeles Times, Lemaster had become a custom home contractor in retirement, with two of those homes featured in the national publication Better Homes & Gardens. He and his family settled in Atlanta, where he and his wife, Mildred, had four children and nine grandchildren.

He was also a fishing guide, raised Doberman pinschers and carved decorative duck decoys that sold for upwards of $1,500 and were featured in international competitions.