| Hooks Wiltse | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1879-09-07)September 7, 1879 Hamilton, New York, U.S. | |
| Died: January 21, 1959(1959-01-21) (aged 79) Long Beach, New York, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 21, 1904, for the New York Giants | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 25, 1915, for the Brooklyn Tip-Tops | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 139–90 |
| Earned run average | 2.47 |
| Strikeouts | 965 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
George Leroy "Hooks"Wiltse (September 7, 1879 – January 21, 1959) was an American professionalbaseballpitcher. He played 12 seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB) from 1904 to 1915. He was the younger brother of pitcherSnake Wiltse.
"Hooks" earned his nickname because of the movement of his exceptionalcurveball and was one of the earliest pitchers to have a curveball regarded as being much more effective than hisfastball.
From 1904 to 1914, he pitched for theNational League'sNew York Giants. During that time, he combined with teammateChristy Mathewson for 435 wins, making them one of the best lefty-righty duos in history. Wiltse won five pennants with the Giants and pitched3+1⁄3 innings in the1911 World Series.
On July 4, 1908, Wiltse pitched aperfect game through 26 batters until he hitPhiladelphia Phillies pitcherGeorge McQuillan on a 2–2 count in a scoreless game. This was the only occurrence of a pitcher losing a perfect game with two outs in the ninth inning by hitting a batter untilWashington NationalspitcherMax Scherzer did so on June 20, 2015. Like Wiltse, Scherzer eventually completed a no-hitter, but unlike Wiltse, Scherzer had a 6–0 lead and was able to retire the next batter to end the game. Home plate umpireCy Rigler later admitted he should have called the previous pitch strike three, which would have ended the inning. Wiltse pitched on, winning 1–0 in ten innings, with thehit-batsman the only lapse separating him from a perfect game. Wiltse's ten-inning complete gameno-hitter still remains a Major League record.[1]
"I missed being the only pitcher of all time to pitch a perfect ten inning game because Cy Rigler miscalled a strike. He admitted afterward he could have called it one. It was a tough break for the next pitch struck McQuillan on the shoulder and put him on first base. It had been a perfect game for eight and two-thirds innings."[1]
As a pitcher, Wiltse was an above average hitter and fielder and was occasionally used as a position player to include playing first base in game two of the1913 World Series where he cut down two runners at home plate in the ninth inning.[1] He posted a career .210batting average (156-for-743) scoring 81runs with 2home runs, 79RBI and drawing 50bases on balls.
In 1915, he jumped to theBrooklyn Tip-Tops of theFederal League, which is where he ended his major league career. He continued to playminor league baseball on and off until 1926. His last appearance came with theReading Keystones, where he played in five games at the age of 46.[1]
Following his retirement from baseball, Hooks returned to his hometown ofSyracuse, New York, where he worked in real estate and became involved in local politics, serving as a local alderman and property assessor.[1]
Wiltse died as a result ofemphysema on January 21, 1959, at age 79.[1]
| Preceded by | No-hitter pitcher July 4, 1908 | Succeeded by |