On June 15, 1974, McNally pitched 11 innings, holding the White Sox to three runs and getting the win when Boog Powell hit a game-winning home run in the bottom of the 11th. Exactly two weeks later, he held the Yankees to two hits in a shutout as the Orioles won 2–0. Baltimore faced the Red Sox for a doubleheader on July 3. Starting the first game, McNally was called for two balks in the first inning. He and Weaver spent 10 minutes arguing the calls, and McNally was ejected from the game. The Orioles won the game 9–2, and in the ninth inning of Game 2, McNally came in and recorded the save in the Orioles' 6–4 win. His record was 8–8 on July 28, but McNally won eight of his last 10 decisions to up it to 16–10 by season's end. He held the Kansas City Royals scoreless on August 18, enabling the Orioles to win 1–0. On September 24, McNally gave up Al Kaline's 3,000th career hit in Baltimore; he got a no-decision in the game, but the Orioles won 5–4. In 39 games (37 starts) with the Orioles in 1974, McNally had a 16–10 record, 111 strikeouts, 81 walks, and 260 hits allowed in 259 innings. He had four shutouts, tying with five other pitchers for sixth in the league. His 3.58 ERA was 0.04 under the league average, but it was his highest since his injury-riddled 1967 season. Following the season, he requested a trade, thinking he might be helped by going to a new team.