Henderson Edward Wright (May 15, 1919 – November 19, 1995) was an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

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 ...

. He played all or part of five seasons 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), ...

between 1945 and 1952 for the Boston Braves (1945–48) and Philadelphia Athletics (1952). Listed at , , Wright batted and threw

right-handed In human biology, handedness is an individual's preferential use of one hand, known as the dominant hand, due to it being stronger, faster or more dextrous. The other hand, comparatively often the weaker, less dextrous or simply less subjecti ...

. He was born in Dyersburg, Tennessee. Wright began his professional career in 1940 in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in No ...

. In 1945, he threw a no-hitter in the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

while pitching for the Indianapolis Indians, and later that season was traded to the Braves for Ira Hutchinson and Steve Shemo. He made his major league debut on July 29. During the 1946 season, his first full season in the majors, Wright finished 10th in the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

with a .571

winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...

(a 12–9

win–loss record In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of matc ...

). After going 3–3 with a 6.40

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

in 1947, Wright spent most of 1948 with the minor league Milwaukee Brewers, then was sent to the Philadelphia Phillies. He bounced around the minor leagues for the next several seasons, from the Phillies to the New York Giants and finally to the Athletics. In between, he pitched the first shutout in Caribbean Series history in 1949. After his return to the majors in 1952, he returned to the minors until 1954 before retiring. In a five-season career, Wright posted a 25–16 record with 93 strikeouts and a 4.00 ERA in 101 appearances, including 39 starts, 16 complete games, three

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

s, one save, and 398 innings of work. Wright died of cancer in his hometown of Dyersburg, Tennessee, at age 76, on November 19, 1995.

References

External links

Baseball Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Ed Major League Baseball pitchers Boston Braves players Philadelphia Athletics players Jackson Generals (KITTY League) players Jonesboro White Sox players Paducah Indians players Memphis Chickasaws players Greenville Buckshots players Meridian Eagles players Atlanta Crackers players Norfolk Tars players Indianapolis Indians players Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players Toronto Maple Leafs (International League) players Minneapolis Millers (baseball) players Ottawa Giants players Hopkinsville Hoppers players Chattanooga Lookouts players Lincoln Chiefs players Baseball players from Tennessee People from Dyersburg, Tennessee Deaths from cancer in Tennessee 1919 births 1995 deaths