John Whitlow Wyatt (September 27, 1907 – July 16, 1999) 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 sixteen 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), ...

for the Detroit Tigers (1929–33),

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 ...

(1933–36),

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

(1937), Brooklyn Dodgers (1939–44), and Philadelphia Phillies (1945). While injuries sidetracked much of Wyatt's early career, he is most famous for his performance in 1941, when his team (the Dodgers) won 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 ...

pennant.

Early years

Wyatt was born in

Kensington, Georgia Kensington is an unincorporated community in Walker County, Georgia, United States, northwest of LaFayette. History A post office called Kensington was established in 1890, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1965. The community ...

, in 1907. As a high school pitching phenom at Cedartown High School, he once struck out 23 college hitters in a game. He attended the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1927.

Professional career

American League

In 1928, Wyatt joined the Evansville Hubs in the Three-I League. After nearly two full seasons with Evansville, including a stretch in 1929 where he won sixteen straight games, he was acquired by the major league Detroit Tigers late in the 1929 season. He made four starts that September and October, going 0–1 with a 6.75 ERA. In 1930, Wyatt appeared in 21 games, including seven starts, posting a record of 4–5 with a 3.57 ERA. He spent most of 1931 in the minor leagues, leading the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

with a 1.53

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

. In 1932, Wyatt managed his first full season, appearing in 43 games, including 22 starts, with a 9–13 record and a 5.03 ERA. In 1933, he was traded in midseason to the White Sox, where he was used mostly in relief for the next several seasons. After spending most of 1936 back in the minor leagues, he was acquired by the Indians in the Rule 5 draft. He pitched in 29 games in 1937, then was back in the minor leagues in 1938. In the midst of an MVP season 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 ...

, during which he won 23 games for the Milwaukee Brewers, he was purchased by the Brooklyn Dodgers.

National League

After going 8–3 in 16 games in 1939, Wyatt went 15–14 in 1940, leading the Dodger staff in innings and strikeouts. His best year was 1941, when he was 22–10 with a league-leading 7

shutouts 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 ...

. He was the winning pitcher in the only Dodgers victory against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

in the 1941 World Series. He also pitched well in 1942, winning 19 games and leading the Dodgers in wins again. During his most productive period, 1940–43, Wyatt went 70–36 and led the league in shutouts twice. In addition to being one of the best pitchers in the league, he also gained notoriety for head-hunting. When a beanball war broke out between frontrunners Brooklyn and St. Louis in 1941, Wyatt was at the forefront. Manager

Leo Durocher Leo Ernest Durocher (French spelling Léo Ernest Durocher) (; July 27, 1905 – October 7, 1991), nicknamed "Leo the Lip" and "Lippy", was an American professional baseball player, manager and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an infie ...

would leave money on top of his locker after he hit batters.

Joe DiMaggio Joseph Paul DiMaggio (November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "The Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career in Major League Baseball for the New York Yank ...

only faced Wyatt in one World Series yet called him "the meanest guy eever saw."

Overview

In a 16-season career, Wyatt posted a 106–95 record with 872 strikeouts and a 3.79

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 1761 innings pitched, including 17

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 and 97 complete games. He was an above-average hitter for a pitcher; he batted .219 (133-607) with 7 home runs and 69 RBI.

Post-playing career

After retiring from the mound, Wyatt was a successful

minor-league 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 ...

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(his 1954

Atlanta Crackers The Atlanta Crackers were Minor League Baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia, between 1901 and 1965. The Crackers were Atlanta's home team until the Atlanta Braves moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1966. History Atlanta played its first ...

won the Double-A

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cla ...

championship and

Dixie Series The Dixie Series was an interleague postseason series between the playoff champions of Minor League Baseball's Southern Association (SA) and Texas League (TL). The best-of-seven series was held at the conclusion of each season from 1920 to 1 ...

), then spent over a decade as a pitching coach in the majors with the Philadelphia Phillies (1955–57) and the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves (1958–67), notably serving on the pennant-winning 1958 Milwaukee Braves and as the first pitching coach for the relocated Atlanta Braves of 1966. He died of complications from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

at the Tanner Medical Center in

Carrollton, Georgia Carrollton, Georgia is a city in the northwest region of Georgia, about 45 miles (72 km) west of Atlanta near the Alabama state line. It is the county seat of Carroll County, which is included in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. Historically, ...

, at age 91.

References

External links

*
"Bad to the Bone"
at The Deadball Era * : {{DEFAULTSORT:Wyatt, Whit 1907 births 1999 deaths American Association (1902–1997) MVP Award winners Atlanta Braves coaches Atlanta Crackers managers Atlanta Crackers players Baseball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Beaumont Exporters players Brooklyn Dodgers players Chicago White Sox players Cleveland Indians players Deaths from pneumonia in Georgia (U.S. state) Detroit Tigers players Evansville Hubs players Kansas City Blues (baseball) players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball pitching coaches Milwaukee Braves coaches Milwaukee Brewers (minor league) players National League All-Stars National League wins champions People from Walker County, Georgia Philadelphia Phillies coaches Philadelphia Phillies players