Earl Wilson

Position: Pitcher

Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right 6-3, 216lb (190cm, 97kg)

Born: October 2, 1934 in Ponchatoula, LA 

Died: April 23, 2005 (Aged 70-203d) in Southfield, MI

Buried: Woodlawn Cemetery, Detroit, MI

High School: Greenville Park HS (Hammond, LA)

Debut: July 28, 1959 (11,657th in major league history) vs. CLE 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 SO, 0 BB, 0 ER

Last Game: September 22, 1970 vs. ATL 1.0 IP, 3 H, 1 SO, 1 BB, 2 ER, L

Rookie Status: Exceeded rookie limits during 1960 season

Full Name: Earl Lawrence Wilson View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject

Nine Players Who Debuted in 1959

Willie McCovey
Billy Williams
Maury Wills
Tommy Davis
Jim Kaat
Tim McCarver
Jim Perry
Mike Cuellar
Zoilo Versalles

All-Time Teammate Team

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Notable Events and Chronology 

Sort bySearch Days, Events, Players Title (A - Z)Date (Newest)

September 5, 1959

In the third inning of the Senators’ 14-2 rout of Boston, Jim Lemon belts two home runs, respectively off Bill Monbouquette and Earl Wilson. The outfielder’s pair of round-trippers accounts for six of the ten runs scored in the frame.

June 26, 1962

Earl Wilson of the Boston Red Sox becomes the first black pitcher in American League history to hurl a no-hitter

August 26, 1966

Mickey Mantle pinch hit clout delivers a walk off win for Yankees

May 19, 1968

Frank Howard’s home run streak comes to an end

April 25, 1970

Earl Wilson nearly scores after striking out

June 3, 2012

Carlos Zambrano hits his 24th career homer as the Marlins beat the Phillies, 5 – 1. That ties him with Bob Gibson for second-most dingers by a pitcher in the post-1962 era, still 9 behind leader Earl Wilson.

Biography

The first black player signed by the Red Sox, Earl Wilson might have been the first to integrate the Boston club had his career not been delayed by military service in 1956-57. Pumpsie Green beat him to Boston in 1959. Originally a catcher, Wilson threw hard, and switched to pitching in 1953, his first pro season. He reached the majors late in 1959, but did not stick until 1962. That June 26, he no-hit the Angels at Fenway Park. In 1963, he walked a league-high 105 batters and tied an American League record with 21 wild pitches. Though his control improved, he was traded to Detroit on June 14, 1966, in the midst of his fourth straight mediocre season. Just 5-5 when traded, Wilson caught fire with the Tigers, going 13-6 the rest of the way. He earned a spot on TSN’s AL All-Star team that year, and again in 1967, when he tied Jim Lonborg for the league lead with 22 wins. A power pitcher averaging better than six strikeouts per nine innings, he was also one of baseball’s greatest power-hitting pitchers. He hit 35 home runs in just 740 at-bats, including two in one game August 16, 1965, and seven in a season twice, a feat surpassed only by Wes Ferrell.

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Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts

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