striking out four and issuing no bases on balls. Control problems But when the 1958 season began, McDaniel became inexplicably wild. He appeared in only two games for the Cardinals, and in two innings issued five walks, gave up three hits and three earned runs, and was dispatched to the Class B Carolina League to try to regain his effectiveness. Although McDaniel rebounded somewhat in 1959, in Class D, then the minors' lowest classification, he never conquered his control problems. As events turned out, his final appearance in Major League Baseball occurred on May 11, 1958. "He lost his coordination and his mechanics", Lindy McDaniel told author Pat Jordan, himself a former professional baseball pitcher, in 2001. "There was no real explanation. Some people thought it was psychological. But who knew about those things then? They sent Von down to the minors, but he couldn't get anyone out. He kept sinking further and further until he couldn't pitch anymore." Conversion to third baseman During the 1960 season, with the Winnipeg Goldeyes of the Class C Northern League, McDaniel became a third baseman to take advantage of his batting prowess and try to return to the Major Leagues. He slugged 14 home runs and batted in 79 runs in Triple-A with the 1962 Oklahoma City 89ers of the American Association, but failed to make the parent team, the expansion Houston Colt .45s. His professional career ended after the 1966 season. Von McDaniel died at age 56 in Lawton, Oklahoma, after suffering a heart attack and a stroke. References External links Skelton, David E., Von McDaniel. Society for American Baseball Research Biography Project 1939 births 1995 deaths Baseball players from Oklahoma Dallas–Fort Worth Spurs players Daytona Beach Islanders players Houston Buffaloes players Major League Baseball pitchers Oklahoma City 89ers players People from Hollis, Oklahoma St. Louis Cardinals players San Antonio Bullets players Tulsa Oilers (baseball) players Winnipeg Goldeyes players Winston-Salem Red Birds players