Walter McKinley "Huck" Betts (February 18, 1897 – June 13, 1987), born in

Millsboro, Delaware Millsboro is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. Millsboro is part of the Salisbury metropolitan area. History Millsboro's earliest European settlers were of English family origin; though most were second generation colonists who s ...

, was a

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 ...

for the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

(1920–25) and

Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

(1932–35). During his six-year tenure with the Phillies, Betts was an ordinary pitcher at best, compiling 18 wins against 27 losses, and a 4.40 ERA. He spent 1926 in the low minors, and then was out of baseball for the next five years. Returning to the big leagues in 1932 with the

, at the age of 35 Betts unexpectedly became one of the National League's best pitchers. He finished the season 13–11 with a 2.80 ERA, which was the third best ERA in the NL. He also did well in 1933, going 11–11 with a 2.79 ERA, which again put him in the top 10 of pitchers who qualified for the ERA crown. His ERA went up to 4.06 in 1934, but his won–loss record was the best of his career at 17–10. Betts' career ended the following year, going 2–9 for the woeful 1935 Boston Braves, often identified as one of the worst major league baseball teams of all time. In 10 seasons Betts had a 61–68 win–loss record, 307 games, 125 games started, 53 complete games, 8 shutouts, 128 games finished, 16 saves, innings pitched, 1,581 hits allowed, 716 runs allowed, 596 earned runs allowed, 83 home runs allowed, 321 walks, 323 strikeouts, and a 3.93 ERA. Betts threw a

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. "Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thro ...

, a

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

, and a

screwball A screwball is a baseball and fastpitch softball pitch that is thrown so as to break in the opposite direction of a slider or curveball. Depending on the pitcher's arm angle, the ball may also have a sinking action. The pitch is sometimes known a ...

. In 1980, Betts was inducted into the

Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame The Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame is a membership-based organization founded in 1976. The organization runs a museum with exhibits at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium on the Riverfront in Wilmington, Delaware and promotes physical fitness in ...

. He died in his hometown at the age of 90.

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1897 births 1987 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers Philadelphia Phillies players Boston Braves players Screwball pitchers Baseball players from Delaware People from Millsboro, Delaware {{US-baseball-pitcher-1890s-stub