Cy Young Profile: Early Wynn, 1959

 Pitcher, Chicago White Sox

Age:  39

2^nd season with White Sox

Bats – Both, Throws – Right

Height: 6’0”    Weight: 190

 

Prior to 1959:

A native of Hartford, Alabama, Wynn was the son of an auto mechanic who had been a semipro baseball player. After attending a baseball camp operated by the Washington Senators in 1937, the 17-year-old pitcher signed with the Senators and dropped out of high school. Starting out with Sanford of the Class D Florida State League, Wynn produced a 16-11 record with a 3.41 ERA. Moving up to Charlotte of the Class B Piedmont League in 1938, he went 10-11 with a 5.28 ERA. Still with Charlotte in 1939, Wynn improved to 15-14 with a 3.96 ERA, which earned him a late-season call-up with the Senators. After going 0-2 with a 5.75 ERA in three games, he returned to Charlotte in 1940 and was 9-7 with a 4.25 ERA. Advancing to Springfield of the Class A Eastern League in 1941, Wynn compiled a 16-12 mark with a 2.56 ERA. Finishing the season with the Senators, he started five games and was 3-1 with a 1.58 ERA. Sticking with the Senators in 1942, Wynn (who was nicknamed “Gus”) posted a 10-16 tally with a 5.12 ERA and 58 strikeouts for the seventh-place club. Possessor of a good fastball and mediocre changeup, he improved to 18-12 in 1943 with a 2.91 ERA and 89 strikeouts. Dropping to 8-17 with a 3.38 ERA in 1944, he missed the 1945 season due to Army service. Returning to the Senators during the 1946 season, Wynn went 8-5 over the course of 17 appearances (12 of them starts) with a 3.11 ERA. In 1947 Wynn was an All-Star for the first time on his way to a 17-15 record with a 3.64 ERA and 73 strikeouts over the course of 247 innings pitched. Washington finished in seventh place in 1948 and Wynn slipped to 8-19 with a 5.82 ERA. In the offseason he was obtained by the Cleveland Indians as part of a four-player deal. Believing that he had the talent to win more consistently if he added more pitches to his repertoire, pitching coach Mel Harder worked with Wynn to develop a curve and slider with a knuckleball as his off-speed pitch. In 1949 he went 11-7 with a 4.15 ERA and improved to 18-8 with a league-leading 3.20 ERA in 1950. He became a 20-game winner for the first time in 1951, finishing at 20-13 with a 3.02 ERA and 133 strikeouts. As part of an excellent starting rotation in Cleveland, he followed up at 23-12 with a 2.90 ERA and 153 strikeouts in 1952. Stocky and maintaining a grim countenance on the mound, Wynn was a tough and intimidating competitor who was quick to throw brushback pitches at batters who crowded the plate. His 1953 tally was 17-12 with a 3.93 ERA and 138 strikeouts. The Indians won the AL pennant in 1954 and Wynn contributed a 23-11 record and 2.73 ERA with 155 strikeouts over a league-leading 270.2 innings. With the second-place Indians in 1955 he produced a 17-11 record with a 2.82 ERA and 122 strikeouts while pitching 230 innings. Wynn followed up with a 20-9 mark in 1956 along with a 2.72 ERA and 158 strikeouts. His record dropped to 14-17 in 1957 with a 4.31 ERA. He still led the AL with 184 strikeouts. Still a tough competitor who hated to be removed from games, Wynn needed to be relieved more often at age 37 and suffering from gout, although he still accumulated 263 innings and 13 complete games. In the offseason he was traded to the White Sox as part of a four-player deal, thus reuniting him with former Cleveland manager Al Lopez. Wynn again led the league in strikeouts in 1958, with 179, although, while still an All-Star, his final record was 14-16 with a 4.13 ERA. Despite speculation that Lopez might move the aging pitcher to the bullpen, he remained as the team’s number one starter in 1959.

 

1959 Season Summary

Appeared in 37 games

 

[Bracketed numbers indicate AL rank in Top 20]

 

Pitching

Games – 37

Games Started – 37 [1, tied with Paul Foytack]

Complete Games – 14 [4, tied with Jim Bunning]

Wins – 22 [1]

Losses – 10 [20, tied with ten others]

PCT - .688 [3]

Saves – 0

Shutouts – 5 [2]

Innings Pitched – 255.2 [1]

Hits – 202 [15, tied with Camilo Pascual]

Runs – 106 [9]

Earned Runs – 90 [8, tied with Billy Pierce & Tom Brewer]

Home Runs – 20 [14, tied with Russ Kemmerer, Jerry Casale & Don Mossi]

Bases on Balls – 119 [1]

Strikeouts – 179 [3]

ERA – 3.17 [9]

Hit Batters – 9 [6, tied with Pedro Ramos]

Balks – 0

Wild Pitches – 5 [10, tied with five others]

 

League-leading wins were +3 ahead of runner-up Cal McLish

League-leading innings pitched were +6 ahead of runner-up Jim Bunning

League-leading bases on balls allowed were +4 ahead of runner-up Herb Score

 

Midseason Snapshot: 11-5, ERA - 3.82, SO – 101 in 127.1 IP

 

---

 

Most strikeouts, game – 14 (in 9 IP) vs. Boston 5/1

10+ strikeout games – 1

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 1 (in 9 IP) vs. Boston 5/1

 

Batting

PA – 103, AB – 90, R – 11, H – 22, 2B – 7, 3B – 0, HR – 2, RBI – 8, BB – 9, SO – 18, SB – 0, CS – 0, AVG - .244, GDP – 1, HBP – 1, SH – 2, SF – 1

 

Fielding

Chances – 47

Put Outs – 6

Assists – 39

Errors – 2

DP – 2

Pct. - .957

 

Postseason Pitching: G – 3 (World Series vs. LA Dodgers)

GS – 3, CG – 0, Record – 1-1, PCT – .500, SV – 0, SH – 0, IP – 13, H – 19, R – 9, ER – 8, HR – 1, BB – 4, SO – 10, ERA – 5.54, HB – 0, BLK – 0, WP – 0

 

Awards & Honors:

MLB Cy Young Award: BBWAA

MLB Player of the Year: Sporting News

AL Pitcher of the Year: Sporting News

All-Star (Starting P for AL in first game)

3^rd in AL MVP voting (123 points, 37% share)

 

MLB Cy Young voting:

Early Wynn, ChiWS.: 13 of 16 votes, 81% share

Sam Jones, SF: 2 votes, 13% share

Bob Shaw, ChiWS.: 1 vote, 6% share

 

---

 

White Sox went 94-60 to win the AL pennant by 5 games over the Cleveland Indians, their first pennant in 40 years.The pitching staff led the league in ERA (3.29), saves (37), and fewest runs allowed (588). The White Sox moved into first place for good on July 28 but still had to fend off the Indians, solidifying their lead with a late-August four-game sweep of Cleveland. Lost World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4 games to 2, as Wynn won Game 1, was knocked out in the third inning of Game 4 and took the loss in the climactic Game 6.

 

Aftermath of ‘59:

Wynn turned 40 in 1960 and his record dropped to 13-12 with a 3.49 ERA and 158 strikeouts, although he tied for the league lead in shutouts with four. He declared his intention to remain active until he reached 300 wins (he was at 284 following the ’60 season). He retained his reputation for intimidating opposing batters, even throwing a knockdown pitch at his 17-year-old son, an aspiring outfielder, who accompanied him to Comiskey Park for some morning batting practice, and dug in and hit a couple of line drives off of his father. Wynn pitched well in 1961 until arm soreness ended his year at midseason with a record of 8-2 over 17 appearances and a 3.51 ERA. By 1962 he was reliant primarily on his slider and knuckleball and posted a 7-15 mark with a 4.46 ERA. Released by the White Sox in the offseason, Wynn received no offers and tried to make the White Sox in the spring without success. He stayed in shape while seeking a suitable deal, and in June the Indians signed him and he joined the starting rotation. He picked up his 300^th win in July, which ended up being the final one of his career. He appeared in 20 games for Cleveland in ’63 (five of them starts) and had a 1-2 tally and 2.28 ERA. For his major league career, Wynn compiled a 300-244 record with a 3.54 ERA, 289 complete games, 49 shutouts, and 2334 strikeouts over 4564 innings. A fair hitting pitcher, he batted .214 with 17 home runs and 173 RBIs. With the White Sox, his record was 64-55 with a 3.72 ERA, 53 complete games, 16 shutouts, and 671 strikeouts over 1010.2 innings pitched. A nine-time All-Star, Wynn was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972. Following his playing career, he succeeded his mentor, Mel Harder, as pitching coach with the Indians. He also served in the same capacity with the Minnesota Twins. He later went into broadcasting and died in 1999 at age 79.

 

--

 

Cy Young Profiles feature pitchers who were recipients of the Cy Young Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1956 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1966 and from 1967 on to one recipient from each major league.