McDermott threw an Eastern League no-hitter for Scranton as a 17-year-old on July 14, 1946, and first joined the Red Sox at 19. The strikeout pitcher had not had a losing year and was coming off an 18-10 season when he was sent to Washington in a December 1953 trade for outfielder Jackie Jensen – much to the dismay of Boston’s many Irish fans, with whom the colorful McDermott had become a favorite. He liked to sing, and had done so in Boston nightclubs and with Eddie Fisher at Grossinger’s in the Catskills. McDermott tailed off after the trade, while Jensen became a star. A lifetime .252 batter who had 127 pinch-hit at-bats, McDermott had nine career home runs – four with the 1957 A’s, for whom he played two games at first base.