Billy Vernon Wynne (born July 31, 1943) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

as a right-handed

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

from through for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

and

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

. During his playing career Wynne was measured at tall and .

Early life

Wynne was born in

Williamston, North Carolina Williamston is a town in Martin County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,511 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Martin County and is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. The closest major city is Greenvill ...

, the same hometown as

Baseball Hall of Fame The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...

member

Gaylord Perry Gaylord Jackson Perry (September 15, 1938 – December 1, 2022) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right-handed pitcher for eight different teams from 1962 to 1983. During a 22-year baseb ...

. He graduated from

Williamston High School Williamston High School was a public high school located in Williamston, North Carolina Williamston is a town in Martin County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,511 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Martin County a ...

and then attended

Pfeiffer University Pfeiffer University is a private university in Misenheimer, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. History Pfeiffer originated from a home school operated by Miss Emily Prudden in the late 19th century. The school ...

Misenheimer, North Carolina Misenheimer is an incorporated village in Stanly County, North Carolina, United States. It is in the southern Piedmont region of North Carolina, near the city of Richfield. The population was 728 as of the 2010 Census. The college town is domina ...

Baseball career

Wynne was signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent before the 1965 season. He made his major league debut at the age of 24 with the Mets on August 6, 1967. On December 15, 1967, the Mets traded Wynne along with

Buddy Booker Richard Lee "Buddy" Booker (born May 28, 1942) is an American former professional baseball catcher who appeared in 23 games in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. The native of Lynchburg, Virginia, batted lef ...

, Tommy Davis and

Jack Fisher John Howard "Fat Jack" Fisher (March 4, 1939) is an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through for the Baltimore Orioles, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, Chicago White S ...

to the Chicago White Sox for

Tommie Agee Tommie Lee Agee (August 9, 1942 – January 22, 2001) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder from through , most notably as a member of the New York Mets team that became known as the ...

and

Al Weis Albert John Weis (born April 2, 1938) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an infielder from 1962 to 1971 for the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets. A light-hitting batter with only seven ...

. Wynne won his first major league game at

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

County Stadium Milwaukee County Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Opened in 1953, it was primarily a baseball park for Major League Baseball's Milwaukee Braves and later the Milwaukee Brewers. It was also used for Green Bay Packer ...

, but he didn't beat either the

Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

or the Brewers. Pitching for the White Sox in a June 16, 1969, game in Milwaukee — the White Sox played a total of 20 " home games" in Milwaukee in 1968 and 1969 — Wynne defeated the

Seattle Pilots The Seattle Pilots were an American professional baseball, professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington during the 1969 Major League Baseball season. During their single-season existence, the Pilots played their ho ...

, 8-3. After a

campaign Campaign or The Campaign may refer to: Types of campaigns * Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed *Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme * Bl ...

in which he was the winning pitcher only once in 12 appearances, he was dealt along with

Ken Berry Kenneth Ronald Berry (November 3, 1933 – December 1, 2018) was an American actor, dancer, and singer. Berry starred on the television series ''F Troop'', ''The Andy Griffith Show'', ''Mayberry R.F.D.'' and ''Mama's Family''. He also appea ...

and

Syd O'Brien Sydney Lloyd O'Brien (born February 18, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an infielder from through for the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, California Angels and the Milwaukee Bre ...

from the White Sox to the Angels for

Jay Johnstone John William Johnstone Jr. (November 20, 1945 – September 26, 2020) was an American professional baseball player and television sports announcer. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1966 to 1985 for the California Angels, ...

Tom Egan Thomas Patrick Egan (born June 9, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from through for the California Angels and the Chicago White Sox. On September 28, 1974, he caught Nolan ...

and Tom Bradley on November 30, 1970."Center Fielders Are Exchanged," ''The New York Times'', Tuesday, December 1, 1970.
Retrieved March 10, 2020 He played in his final major league game with the Angels on April 30, 1971 at the age of 27. He retired with a career MLB record of 8–11 with a 4.33 ERA.

References

Sources

*. 1943 births Living people Auburn Mets players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Baseball players from North Carolina California Angels players Chicago White Sox players Florida Instructional League Mets players Florida Instructional League White Sox players Greenville Mets players Hawaii Islanders players Jacksonville Suns players Major League Baseball pitchers Marion Mets players Mexican League baseball pitchers New York Mets players Pfeiffer Falcons baseball players Peninsula Whips players People from Williamston, North Carolina Rojos del Águila de Veracruz players Salt Lake City Angels players Saraperos de Saltillo players Tigres de Aragua players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Tucson Toros players West Palm Beach Expos players {{US-baseball-pitcher-1940s-stub