Daniel Knowles MacFayden (June 10, 1905 – August 26, 1972) was an American starting and relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. From through , he played for the Boston Red Sox (1926–1932), New York Yankees (1932–1934), Cincinnati Reds (1935), Boston Braves/Bees/Braves (1935–1939, 1943), Pittsburgh Pirates (1940) and Washington Senators (1941). In a 17-season career, he posted a 132–159 record with 797 strikeouts and a 3.96 earned run average in 2706 innings pitched. His best season was , when he earned 17 victories with 86 strikeouts and a 2.87 ERA, all career bests. He batted and pitched right-handed. His best pitch was a side-arm curveball. MacFayden's serious demeanor won him the nickname "Deacon Danny", though New York World-Telegram sportswriter Dan Daniel, a harsh critic of his play, called him "Dismal Danny" when he was with the Yankees. Early life MacFayden was born in North Truro, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. In 1920, his mother moved the family to Somerville, located across the Charles River from Boston. His father had died when he was four years old, and they went to live with his mother Sarah's brother, building contractor Joshua Knowles. His uncle eventually adopted Danny. MacFayden was captain of the Somerville High School baseball team in 1923, a team that boasted three future major leaguers: MacFayden, Josh Billings and Shanty Hogan. On May 7, 1924, pitching for Somerville against Everett High, MacFayden struck out between 31 and 33 batters in 17 innings while giving up only four hits. He lost the game 2–1. After graduating from Somerville High in 1924, he attended Hebron Academy (Hebron, Maine) to prepare himself for attending college. His mother wanted him to go to Dartmouth College. (He would return to Hebron in the 1931–32 offseason to serve as the school's hockey coach.) He played in the semi-pro Boston Twilight League in the summers of 1923 and 1924. In 1924 he played for the Osterville town team in the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and posted a 9-2 record. Playing alongside his Somerville High teammate and fellow future-major leaguer Shanty Hogan, the pair led Osterville to the league title. In 1925, MacFayden returned to the CCBL with Falmouth. He was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame in 2012. Boston Red Sox MacFayden was signed by Boston Red Sox owner Bob Quinn after he saw him pitching in the Twilight League. He decided to give up going to