Early Wynn’s first All Star selection came in 1947. That year he won 17 games for a woeful Senators club that suffered 90 losses. The season was a tough one from the start. A couple games below .500 on May 1st, Washington faded as the season wore on.
By the end of July the Senators were 20.5 games out of first place.
In August the season hit rock bottom. After a win on the 10th, Washington lost eleven straight. Despite his best efforts, Wynn suffered two tough-luck defeats during the streak.
The first came in on August 12 at Boston.
In the top of the first Mickey Vernon’s two-out double drove in the game’s first run. Wynn made Vernon’s hit stand up, holding the Red Sox scoreless through the first 8 innings.
In the 9th Johnny Pesky drew a walk to start the inning. Dom DiMaggio bunted him into scoring position. After Ted Williams popped out to second base, Bobby Doerr singled in Pesky to tie the game. Red Sox first baseman Jake Jones then tripled to center to plate Doerr for the walk-off victory.
Five days later in the first game of a doubleheader, Wynn did everything possible to will his team to victory. Pitching masterfully, he kept the Athletics quiet through the first five frames then broke the scoreless tie with a solo homer in the Senators half of the inning.
Wynn relinquished the lead in the 8th, surrendering a two-run double to Eddie Joost.
With the score 2-1 in the 9th, Washington threatened. With two out and Jerry Priddy on first, Wynn doubled to right. Priddy rounded third and headed for home as Philadelphia second baseman Pete Suder took the relay and threw to the plate. In a bang-bang play, Priddy was called out and the game was over.
The Senators lost the nightcap to bring the losing streak to seven games.
The next day the team boarded a train for Cleveland for a four-game set with the Indians. After dropping the first two, Washington’s heartache reached its nadir in a Sunday doubleheader. The Senators lost both ends in walk-fashion. Now 20 games below the break-even mark, Washington was 27 1/2 games behind the first place Yankees.
After the twin bill disaster an article appeared in the Washington Evening Star ripping the Senators and attributing their poor play to manager Ossie Bluege. The players and coaches came together and gave Bluege a much-needed vote of confidence.
Shown above is an affidavit signed by Early Wynn. The notarized document is dated August 20, 1947, the day of the Senators 11th straight loss. In it Wynn denounces the “derogatory and malicious statements written about our manager…”.
The very next day after signing it, Wynn took the hill and stopped the bleeding. In a 3-2 victory over Tigers Hall of Famer Hal Newhouser, Wynn scattered 6 hits in his third complete-game in ten days. For good measure he had two hits including a bunt single in the 9th that pushed across his team’s final run.
In the tumultuous season, Wynn did everything he could to help his team and save his manager’s job.
Won 300 games — not always for the best of teams. Went to war, which means to me he offered up his life for all of us. And there’s not a spot for him in the hall?