April 26, 2005
Remembering Earl Wilson
Jeff Kallman at The Catbird in the Nose Bleed Seats remembers the recently departed Earl Wilson. Wilson hit 35 home runs in 740 AB as a pitcher, a rate of 1 HR every 21 AB. Lots of position players wish they had that kind of rate.
Military service had kept Wilson from becoming the first black player on the Red Sox, the honour falling in due course to Pumpsie Green, and now he would be traded to the Tigers (in June) for an outfielder named Don Demeter. “And Earl Wilson hit more home runs as a pitcher for Detroit,” fumed the journalist David Margolick, still steaming after all those years, “than Demeter hit as an outfielder for the Red Sox.”
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My first glove was an Earl Wilson....
re: Earl Wilson
the recent book on racism and the Red Sox points out that Earl Wilson was traded because there was an unwritten rule that there could be no more than two black players on the Red Sox in the 1960s, meaning a black player and his black roommate.
Earl Wilson was not only an effective pitcher and hitter for Detroit, he was a key part of the 1968 World Championship team after Mickey Lolich and Denny McLain and almost helped Detroit prevent the miracle 1967 Red Sox from happening.
Although not the first African American player for the Bosox, Wilson was the first effective and good African American player for the Bosox. Had the Bosox retained his services, the 1967 team could have won a pennant in 1968 despite Jim Lonborg's injury because Earl Wilson could have been a #1 or #2 for them. Instead Detroit had a talented #3 and they ran away with the pennant in 68'.
Reggie Smith grew to feel that blacks weren't welcome in Boston and ended up in LA, where he helped LA to several division titles and pennants while the Bosox continued to end up just short in 1975, 74, 77, 78 and 79.
All of this because they traded Earl Wilson.
No black free agents signed with the Red Sox for about 25 years after free agency began, in part due to the legacy of Earl Wilson and Reggie Smith.
And by the way, I also had an Earl Wilson glove, it was my first or second. Wish I still had it. He was one of the great 60s players.
--AJKyriazis.
I was Earl Wilson's paperboy in 1969. He played for the Detroit Tigers and he lived in a very nice apartment building in Lafayette Park (in downtown Detroit). He was a very nice man who gave me a baseball mitt (I still own it) and believe it or not a Boston Red Sox cap! One day he introduced me to Les Cain (another Detroit pitcher).
A wonderful guy who never knew how much his kind words and thoughts made an impact on my life!
I was at Earl Wilson's No-Hitter at Fenway Park , in 1963, with my two older brothers! It was the thrill of a lifetime. Frank Malzone made a great catch of a foul pop, on the steps of the Angels' dugout, which was at a key point in the eventual no-hitter. Earl's homer sent us into a frenzy. The drama of a no-hitter can never be forgotten. It rained early, and the game was delayed, but we stayed, and our reward was an eternal gift.
Dave Robinson, Whately, MA
Wilson hit a pinch-hit HR in the 13th inning in one of the first big league games I ever saw. It was very dramatic.
How many times has a pitcher done that -- as a pinch-hitter?
Earl was a great friend, someone that would listen to anything you wanted to say and then laugh at it. he is smileing down on us right now because DETROIT is in the world series!!!!!