Wynn's 1st MLB skipper Bucky Harris developed Wynn's penchant for hitting batters
Known for his competitiveness, Early Wynn was the master of the brushback pitch. Hall of Fame manager Bucky Harris helped develop Wynn’s penchant for hitting batters. The skipper in Wynn’s first four seasons, Harris ordered him to throw brushback pitches when he got two strikes on a batt
Wynn's 1st MLB skipper Bucky Harris developed Wynn's penchant for hitting batters
Known for his competitiveness, Early Wynn was the master of the brushback pitch. Hall of Fame manager Bucky Harris helped develop Wynn’s penchant for hitting batters.
The skipper in Wynn’s first four seasons, Harris ordered him to throw brushback pitches when he got two strikes on a batter. The penalty for non-compliance was a $25 fine.
Asked about it in retirement, Wynn remarked, “I was making $350 a month. I couldn’t afford giving up $25.”
Shown here is a page from the 1933 edition of Who’s Who in Baseball. Harris’ signature is found near his picture at the top of the page.
In Wynn's 1st All Star campaign he signed this in support of his manager after a long losing streak
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 g
In Wynn's 1st All Star campaign he signed this in support of his manager after a long losing streak
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 slipped 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.
Early Wynn was selected for nine All Star teams from 1947 through 1960
Early Wynn pitched 23 years in the big leagues and 26 professional seasons overall. He broke in as a 17-year old and threw his final professional pitch at age 43. Along the way Wynn had five 20-win campaigns and led topped the league in victories twice – both year leading his team to the World
Early Wynn was selected for nine All Star teams from 1947 through 1960
Early Wynn pitched 23 years in the big leagues and 26 professional seasons overall. He broke in as a 17-year old and threw his final professional pitch at age 43.
Along the way Wynn had five 20-win campaigns and led topped the league in victories twice – both year leading his team to the World Series. The AL’s ERA leader in 1950, he also paced Junior Circuit hurlers in strikeouts twice. From 1947 through 1960 he was selected to nine All Star teams. In 1959 he earned the Cy Young Award.
His final season came in 1963 when he became the 14th pitcher in baseball history to notch 300 wins.
Shown here is a 1960 Topps baseball card autographed by Wynn. That season he led the league in shutouts and received his final All Star nod.
Wynn pitched two scoreless frames in the ’60 Mid Summer Classic. He retired six of the seven men he faced including Hall of Famers Eddie Mathews, Bill Mazeroski, and Willie Mays.
The NL beat Wynn’s American Leaguers 6-0 behind early homers by Mathews and Mays off of Yankee hurler Whitey Ford.
Wynn's 9-month gap between wins 299 and 300 is the longest of any 300-game winner
Early Wynn skipped his senior year of high school to sign with the Washington Senators. Two years later he made his big league debut at age 19. His 23-year career included stops ten years with the Indians, eight with the Senators, and five with the White Sox. Along the way he won 17 or more games in
Wynn's 9-month gap between wins 299 and 300 is the longest of any 300-game winner
Early Wynn skipped his senior year of high school to sign with the Washington Senators. Two years later he made his big league debut at age 19.
His 23-year career included stops ten years with the Indians, eight with the Senators, and five with the White Sox. Along the way he won 17 or more games in ten seasons. Wynn totaled 20 or more victories in five campaigns.
At the end of his ’58 season with the White Sox, Wynn had 249 wins. In ’59, Wynn went 22-10 and led the league in victories. The following season he slipped to 13-12. More importantly, he finished 1960 with 284 career wins – within shouting distance of the Cooperstown-guarantee of 300 victories.
Getting to the milestone proved difficult. In 1961 and ’62, he totaled just 15 wins. The right-hander entered ’63 one win short of his goal.
Wynn did not pitch well enough to make the Chicago roster in spring training. Other teams offered him one-game contracts. Wynn wanted something more.
The Indians came calling and signed him in late June. Wynn’s velocity was gone. He pitched on guts and guile.
Against the KC Athletics in his fourth start of the season, he gave up four runs in five innings but left the game with the lead. Roommate Jerry Walker relieved him and pitched four scoreless innings. Wynn got his 300th.
The nine-month gap between his 299th and 300th victory remains the largest in baseball history. Wynn retired at the end of the year.
As an inductee to Cooperstown in 1972, Wynn received this Lifetime Pass to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Passes such as this rarely hit the market. Simple math tells us why.
There are 342 members of the Hall of Fame as of 2023. Some were inducted before the Hall began issuing the passes. Dozens more were inducted posthumously. Factor in some of the Hall of Famers losing their passes and most keeping them in the family after they passed and it’s easy to see why these are so rarely available to collectors.
Being a member of the Hall of Fame has its perks - here's Wynn's 1984 pass to all AL games
Early Wynn received baseball’s highest honor when he was inducted at Cooperstown in 1972. Being a member of the Hall of Fame has its advantages. In the collection is a 1984 American League season pass issued to Early Wynn. Though quite a few of these passes are issued each year, Wynn ranked hi
Being a member of the Hall of Fame has its perks - here's Wynn's 1984 pass to all AL games
Early Wynn received baseball’s highest honor when he was inducted at Cooperstown in 1972. Being a member of the Hall of Fame has its advantages. In the collection is a 1984 American League season pass issued to Early Wynn.
Though quite a few of these passes are issued each year, Wynn ranked highly enough to receive just the 14th pass issued. The other intriguing aspect is that the pass is made out to “Early Wynn & Party”. Most lifetime passes and season passes are made out for the bearer and one. This one has no limit as to the number of guests the pitcher could get into the game.
Wynn signed the back of the 1984 pass that let him into all American League games
The reverse of the pass states all the different policies surrounding entrance to the games. The 300-game winner has signed the bottom of the pass as the cardholder. Interestingly there is no uniform policy in Major League Baseball regarding season and lifetime passes. Each club has it’s own s
Wynn signed the back of the 1984 pass that let him into all American League games
The reverse of the pass states all the different policies surrounding entrance to the games. The 300-game winner has signed the bottom of the pass as the cardholder.
Interestingly there is no uniform policy in Major League Baseball regarding season and lifetime passes. Each club has it’s own set of specific rules and regulations. However it would seem a Hall of Famer would receive the best possible treatment when asking for tickets.
At the time this pass was issued, Wynn lived in Nokomis, Florida. Though no big league called Florida home in the 1980s, Wynn may have used the pass to get into spring training and minor league games.
A newspaper man turned league publicist turned league president came up with a brilliant idea in 1934 — reward longtime National League players with a lifetime pass to all NL games. Senior Circuit owners approved Ford Frick’s proposal at the league meeting in December of ’34. A few months later, Frick sent out ornately decorated paper Lifetime Passes to the NL’s greatest players. He even sent one to Babe Ruth who appeared in all of 28 games for the Boston Braves in 1935. A 21-year veteran of the American League, the Babe was grateful if not surprised when he remarked, “At least the National League has a heart”. An image of the original paper pass presented to Hall of Fame outfielder Sliding Billy Hamilton can be seen below. A similar pass curiously issued to Stan Coveleski, a lifetime American Leaguer is also shown. Perhaps shamed by Ruth’s remarks, the American League joined forces in 1936 to issue a pass to all Major League contests. Players with twenty or more years of service received a solid gold pass. Seventeen men qualified for the true “golden ticket” — Ruth, Fred Clarke, Ty Cobb, Eddie Collins, Bill Dahlen, Harry Davis, Red Faber, Walter Johnson, […]
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?
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?