ONEMOREINNING

FORGOTTEN:PART THREE

   HOW WOULD YOU HAVE LIKED TO START YOUR MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PITCHING CAREER WITH TWELVE CONSECUTIVE WINS?

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE HOOKED UP WITH CHRISTY MATHEWSON FOR A TOTAL OF 435 WINS (THE MOST LEFTY-RIGHTY PITCHING COMBO IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME.

   HIS NAME WAS HOOKS WILTSE AND HIS PARENTS MUST HAVE HAD A PREDILICTION FOR STRANGE FIRST NAMES (THEY NAMED HIS BROTHER SNAKE!)

   HE PITCHED FOR THE GIANTS FROM 1904 TO 1914 AND ENDED HIS CAREER WITH THE SHORT LIVED BROOKLYN TIP TOPS IN 1915. HE THEN CONTINUED IN MINOR LEAGUE BALL UNTIL 1926. WHILE HE WAS WITH THE GIANTS HE WAS ON FIVE PENNANT WINNING TEAMS….1904, 1905, 1911, 1912, AND 1913.

   HIS CAREER TOTALS CONSISTED OF 139 WINS, 90 LOSSES. HE HAD AN ERA OF 2.47 WITH 955 STRIKEOUTS.

   HE HAD A PERFECT GAME GOING FOR HIMSELF THROUGH 26 BATTERS, HIT THE OPPOSING PITCHER, BUT THEN FINISHED THE GAME IN THE TENTH INNING FOR A NO HITTER.

   IN 1925 HE SPENT THE YEAR AS A COACH FOR THE NEW YORK YANKEES AFTER HAVING MANAGED FOR TEN YEARS WITH THE MINOR LEAGUE BUFFALO BISONS. 

   A BETTER THAN DECENT CAREER BUT IT'S FOR HIS BEGINNING THAT HE'S BEST KNOWN FOR.

   COMING UP TO THE GIANTS HE HAD A 13-3 RECORD HIS FIRST YEAR WITH THEM. HOWEVER HE DID WIN 12 CONSECUTIVE GAMES IN HIS FIRST 12 STARTS. ONLY BUTCH METZGER IN RECENT TIMES ACOMPLISHED THAT AS WELL. TEN OF HOOKS GAMES WERE COMPLETE AND FOUR OF THEM WERE SHUTOUTS.

   AS AN ASIDE, HIS NICKNAME REFERRED TO HIS CURVE BALL WHICH WAS CONSIDERED TO HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE BEST FOR THOSE TIMES.

   HE DIED IN 1959 AT THE AGE OF 79.

 

   HOW WOULD YOU HAVE LIKED TO HAVE HAD A 16 GAME CONSECUTIVE WINNING STREAK DURING THE COURSE OF YOUR PITCHING CAREER?

   "SMOKY" JOE WOOD HAD THE ABOVE IN HIS MAJOR LEAGUE CAREER AND MUCH MORE AS WELL. HOWEVER NOWADAYS NOTHING MUCH IS SAID ABOUT HIM……SO WE'LL DO IT HERE.

    AS A PITCHER HIS STATS WERE 117 W-57 L. 2.03 ERA, 989 K. TWO 20 GAME SEASONS, ONE 30 WIN SEASON, 3 SUB 2.00 ERA SEASONS. A NO HITTER IN 1911 AND STRUCK OUT 15 HITTERS IN ANOTHER GAME. WAS THE ERA LEADER IN THE AL IN 1914 AND THE WINS LEADER IN 1912.

    IN 1912 NOT ONLY DID HE HAVE A 34-5 WON AND LOST RECORD BUT IN THAT YEAR HE ALSO HAD 16 CONSECUTIVE WINS. HE WAS GOING FOR HIS 14TH WIN AGAINST WALTER JOHNSON WHO HAD JUST HAD HIS OWN 14 WIN STREAK SNAPPED. WOOD WENT ON TO WIN AND ADDED 2 MORE GAMES FOR A TOTAL OF 16.

    AFTER AN INJURY ENDED WOOD'S CAREER AS A PITCHER HE CONTINUED ON AS A BETTER THAN DECENT HITTER IN THE MAJORS.

   HE PASSED ON IN 1984 AT THE AGE OF 95.