Wayne Gaffney McLeland (August 29, 1924 – May 9, 2004) was an American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher whose 11-year (1942; 1946–1955) pro career included ten

games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Basebal ...

in Major League Baseball for the 1951–1952

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

. Born in

Stockport, Iowa Stockport is a city in Van Buren County, Iowa, United States. The population was 272 at the time of the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Demographics 2010 census A ...

, and nicknamed "Nubbin", he stood tall and weighed . McLeland was a veteran of the United States Army, serving during World War II. Originally signed by the St. Louis Cardinals after his 1940 graduation from Stockport High School, McLeland was named the 1950 "pitcher of the year" in the Double-A Texas League,Obituary, ''The Houston Chronicle,'' May 12, 2004
/ref> as he won 21 of 29 decisions and compiled an earned run average of 2.49 in 267

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

for the unaffiliated Dallas Eagles franchise. He was acquired by the Tigers after that season and spent most of the 1951 and 1952 campaigns at the Triple-A level of minor league baseball, with three brief trials with the Tigers. In his only starting role in MLB, against the Chicago White Sox on September 9, 1951, he allowed four earned runs in innings and took the loss in a 4–3 defeat. White Sox first baseman Eddie Robinson drove in three runs with a home run and a double, to do most of the damage against McLeland that day.1951-9-9 box score from Retrosheet
/ref> During his brief Major League service, McLeland allowed 24

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, 13 runs (all

earned Earning can refer to: * Labour (economics) *Earnings of a company *Merit Merit may refer to: Religion * Merit (Christianity) * Merit (Buddhism) * Punya (Hinduism) * Imputed righteousness in Reformed Christianity Companies and brands * Merit ...

), and ten

bases on balls A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Se ...

in total innings of work; he failed to record a

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

. He settled in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, after his baseball career ended and spent 35 years working for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:McLeland, Wayne 1924 births 2004 deaths Baseball players from Iowa Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Columbus Red Birds players Dallas Eagles players Detroit Tigers players Duluth Dukes players Houston Buffaloes players Major League Baseball pitchers Oklahoma City Indians players Baseball players from Houston People from Van Buren County, Iowa Rochester Red Wings players Shreveport Sports players Toledo Mud Hens players United States Army personnel of World War II