After winning the last two decisions of the 1968 season, McNally opened 1969 with a record; his first loss of the season came when he allowed a grand slam to Rich Reese in a loss to the Minnesota Twins on August 3, and he ended the regular season with a record. His 17 straight wins were an AL record at the time, and his 15 consecutive wins to open the season tied an AL record. He threw a four-hit shutout in a 9–0 victory over the Senators on April 12. On May 5, he had a no-hitter going until one out in the ninth inning, when Cesar Tovar singled; McNally got Rod Carew to hit into a double play to preserve the shutout. He threw back-to-back shutouts against the White Sox on June 15 and the Senators on June 19. He was named to the All-Star Game for the first time in his career. Though his record was only 5–7 in the season's final two months, he returned to the playoffs as the Orioles won the AL East. McNally's 20 wins tied Mel Stottlemyre and Dave Boswell for third in the league behind McLain's 24 and teammate Mike Cuellar's 23, his four shutouts tied with five other pitchers for fourth in the league, his 166 strikeouts ranked ninth, and he was second to McLain with 40 starts. He finished 13th in AL MVP voting and ranked fourth in AL Cy Young Award voting.