Early Wynn Stats & Facts
Early Wynn
Position: Pitcher
Bats: Both • Throws: Right
6-0, 190lb (183cm, 86kg)
Born: January 6, 1920 in Hartford, AL
Died: April 4, 1999 in Venice, FL
Buried: Cremated
High School: Geneva County HS (Hartford, AL)
Debut: September 13, 1939 (7,041st in MLB history)
vs. CHW 8.0 IP, 6 H, 0 SO, 5 BB, 3 ER, L
Last Game: September 13, 1963
vs. LAA 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 SO, 0 BB, 0 ER
Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1972. (Voted by BBWAA on 301/396 ballots)
View Early Wynn’s Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos).
Full Name: Early Wynn
Nicknames: Gus
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject
Nine Players Who Debuted in 1939
Ted Williams
Mickey Vernon
Bob Elliott
Bob Kennedy
Early Wynn
Hal Newhouser
Dizzy Trout
Fred Hutchinson
Johnny Hopp
All-Time Teammate Team
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Notable Events and Chronology for Early Wynn Career
The vanishing breed of scowling, intimidating pitchers is best typified by Hall of Famer and 300-game-winner Early Wynn. He walked into a Senators tryout camp and signed a pro contract at age 17. After three starts in 1939, he made the majors to stay in 1941. Armed with a blazing fastball and little else, Wynn gave scant evidence of his future in his 191 appearances with Washington. Seasons of 18 and 17 wins were offset by a league-high 17 losses in 1944 and 19 defeats, with a 5.82 ERA, in 1948. The man they called “Gus” recorded his 300th and final win in 1963 at the age of 43. A share of Early Wynn’s previous 299 victories had helped both the Indians and the White Sox to the only pennants of the 1950s not won by the Yankees. Wynn was a gritty right-hander who kept the ball in play and helped himself with the bat.
Indians owner Bill Veeck obtained Wynn on December 14, 1948 with Mickey Vernon for Joe Haynes, Ed Klieman, and Eddie Robinson, one of the best deals in Indians’ history. Wynn came under the tutelage of Cleveland pitching coach Mel Harder, who taught the portly righthander a curve, knuckleball, slider, and changeup. Wynn threw all his pitches with an easy, effortless motion. After a year of adjustment in 1949, he led the AL with a 3.20 ERA in 1950. He had the first of his 20-win seasons in 1951. With Bob Lemon, Mike Garcia, and, first, aging Bob Feller and then Herb Score, Wynn was in one of baseball’s all-time great pitching rotations. In 1952 he won 23 games, Lemon and Garcia won 22 each, and the three were named Cleveland’s Men of the Year. They made the Indians a close second to the Yankees in 1952 and 1953. In 1954 Wynn and Lemon tied for the AL lead with 23 wins and the Indians won a league-record 111 games before suffering a stunning World Series sweep to the Giants. Wynn allowed an RBI single and a home run to Series star Dusty Rhodes in losing Game Two.
Though he led the AL in strikeouts, Wynn suffered his first losing season with Cleveland in 1957 (14-17). That December, he and Al Smith went to the White Sox for Minnie Minoso and Fred Hatfield. In 1958, Wynn became the first ML pitcher to lead his league in strikeouts in consecutive years with different teams, but still posted a 14-16 record. But at the age of 39 in 1959 he led the White Sox to the AL pennant, leading the AL in wins (22-10), starts, and innings. He won Game One of the WS over the Dodgers 11-0, but was hit hard in his two other starts and lost Game Seven.
In the 1950s, Wynn was 188-119 with more strikeouts, 1,544, than any other pitcher. He led the league with four shutouts in 1960 and pitched well in his illness-curtailed 1961 season (8-2), but struggled to a 7-15 record in 1962 as his 300th win proved elusive. He was released that November and was cut during spring training in 1963, needing just one more victory for the landmark plateau. Signed by Cleveland, Wynn reached the milestone on July 13, 1963, going five innings to defeat the Athletics. He spent most of the year in the bullpen and retired after the season. He pitched more seasons (23) than any pitcher to that time, despite battling gout from 1951 on. Wynn believed in running and kept his legs in great shape. He also walked a record 1,775 batters.
Wynn’s distinct personality led him to call the pitching mound his “office.” He worked with a grim, fierce appearance, and might be best remembered for saying he would knock down his grandmother if she dug in against him. Feared on the field, Wynn was an easygoing, fun-loving practical joker off the field. A dangerous batter who is among the all-time pitchers’ leaders in hits, he was used as a pinch hitter 90 times during his career and hit .270 or better five times. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.
Unform Number
#44 (1939), #11 (1941-1944), #26 (1946-1948), #24 (1949-1962), #38 (1963)
Replaced By
His last regular job as a starting pitcher was 1962 with the White Sox. In 1963 he was replaced by Gary Peters.
Best Season
As the Tribe rolled to 111 wins and the pennant, Early Wynn joined his famous fellow starters (Bob Feller, Mike Garcia and Bob Lemon) in the rotation. He won 23 games, losing just seven, while posting a 2.73 ERA. He paced the league in innings and wins, while also completing 20 starts and saving two games.
Factoid 1
Wynn was a fierce competitor who often found himself in confrontations with umpires, opposing batters, his teammates, and his manager. He hated to be removed from a game, and he rarely was � finishing 47% of his starts.
Factoid 2
On September 15, 1946, Early Wynn pinch-hit for the pitcher and slugged a grand slam in the Senators’ seven-run fifth inning against the Tigers in Detroit. It was the third homer of Wynn’s career, and his first grand slam.
Transition
Before 1937 Season: Signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent; December 14, 1948: Traded by the Washington Senators with Mickey Vernon to the Cleveland Indians for Ed Klieman, Joe Haynes, and Eddie Robinson; December 4, 1957: Traded by the Cleveland Indians with Al Smith to the Chicago White Sox for Minnie Minoso and Fred Hatfield; November 20, 1962: Released by the Chicago White Sox; June 21, 1963: Signed as a Free Agent with the Cleveland Indians; October 14, 1963: Released by the Cleveland Indians.
Strengths
Durability. From the age of 31-40, Wynn started at least 30 games and hurled no fewer than 230 innings every season.
Weaknesses
He gave up his share of home runs.
Feats
On July 13, 1963, Wynn garnered his 300th (and final) major league victory. Starting the second game of a doubleheader against the Royals, Wynn hurled five innings, allowing four runs, but left with a slim lead. Four shutout innings of relief by Jerry Walker earned Wynn his milestone victory.
Helping Yourself Out
The pitchers listed below are the only pitchers to win a 1-0 game and also drive in the only run with a home run. 8/3/1906, Tom Hughes, Senators, off Fred Glade, Browns (10th inning) 8/13/1932, Red Ruffing, Yankees, off Tommy Thomas, Senators (10th inning) 5/21/1938, Spud Chandler, Yankees, off Thornton Lee, White Sox 5/1/1959, Early Wynn, White Sox, off Tom Brewer, Red Sox 4/18/1962, Milt Pappas, Orioles, off Bill Stafford, Yankees 8/6/1962, Johnny Klippstein, Reds, off Don McMahon, Colt-45s (13th inning) 5/5/1965, Jim Bunning, Phillies, off Warren Spahn, Mets 9/16/1971, Juan Pizarro, Cubs, off Tom Seaver, Mets 6/17/1983, Bob Welch, Dodgers, off Mario Soto, Reds 8/28/2002, Odalis Perez, Dodgers, off Rick Helling, Diamondbacks
Brushback at First Base
Once, when Mickey Mantle sent a line drive back up the middle that narrowly missed him, Wynn motioned for his first baseman to play in back of the bag while he threw over and aimed for Mickey’s legs.
Notes
On May 1, 1959, Wynn hit a solo homer off Boston’s Tom Brewer to provide the only run in his 1-0 victory over the Red Sox… In 1984, a malfunctioning woodstove exploded in the home of 64-year old former pitcher. Wynn received second and third-degree burns to his face and upper body. Luckily he was wearing glasses, which probably saved his eyesight.
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