| Hank Wyse | |
|---|---|
_(cape1736)_0000.jpg) Wyse, Baseball Digest | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: March 1, 1917 Lunsford, Craighead County, Arkansas, U.S. | |
| Died: October 22, 2000(2000-10-22) (aged 83) Pryor, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 7, 1942, for the Chicago Cubs | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 14, 1951, for the Washington Senators | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 79–70 |
| Earned run average | 3.52 |
| Strikeouts | 362 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Henry Washington Wyse (March 1, 1917 – October 22, 2000) was an American professionalbaseballpitcher. Between 1942 and 1951, Wyse played inMajor League Baseball for theChicago Cubs (1942–47),Philadelphia Athletics (1950–51) andWashington Senators (1951). A native ofLunsford, Craighead County, Arkansas, he was listed as 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and 185 pounds (84 kg) and he batted and threw right-handed.
Acontrol pitcher, Wyse was asinkerballer and acurve specialist. Wyse was nicknamed "Hooks" in acknowledgment of his curveball, described by Wyse biographer Gregory Wolf as "knee-buckling". Wyse suffered a spinal injury that kept him from serving inWorld War II. As a result, he wore a corset at times to pitch.[1]
Wyse debuted for the Chicago Cubs on September 7, 1942, and would remain a Cub thru the 1947 season. Wyse also pitched in theAmerican League with thePhiladelphia Athletics andWashington Senators for parts of two seasons, playing his final game in the major leagues on June 14, 1951.
In his eight-seasonMLB career, Wyse posted a 79–70won–lost record with a 3.52ERA, 362strikeouts, 11shutouts, eightsaves, and 12572⁄3innings in 251games pitched, 159 as astarter.
His most productive season came in 1945, when he helped the Cubs win theNational Leaguepennant after going 22–10 with a 2.68 ERA. During that season he was, for his first and only time, selected as anAll-Star[2] and pitched aone-hitter on April 28 against thePittsburgh Pirates. His potentialno-hitter was broken up byBill Salkeld, whosingled in the 8th inning with one out. He would finish seventh in the 1945 National League Most Valuable Player vote.[3]
Wyse would pitch and be credited with a loss in the second game of theWorld Series. Herelieved in Games 6 and 7. UntilJon Lester pitched in the first inning of the2016 World Series, Wyse was the last Cubs' pitcher to appear in a World Series game. The 1945 World Series would be Wyse's onlypostseason appearance.
Wyse died inPryor, Oklahoma, at age 83. He would be posthumously inducted into theTexas League Hall of Fame in 2009.[1]