Earl Wilson, baseball player, 1959-1970

Earl Wilson

Born: 10/2/1934 in Ponchatoula, LA, USA

Died: 4/23/2005 in Southfield, MI, USA

MLB Debut: 1959-07-28 | Final Game: 1970-09-22

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'3" | Weight: 216 lbs

Full name: Earl Lawrence Wilson

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Biography

Earl Wilson was a professional baseball pitcher who made significant contributions to the game during his career from 1959 to 1970. Born in 1934, Wilson played primarily in the Major Leagues and is best remembered for his tenure with the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox. Over the course of his career, he compiled a record of 121-109 and finished with a 3.69 ERA, establishing himself as a reliable arm on the mound. With a total of 1,452 strikeouts, Wilson showcased his ability to dominate hitters, particularly in an era marked by a mix of power and strategy on the field. Wilson's impact extended beyond his statistics; he was one of the first African American pitchers in the American League and broke barriers during a time when the integration of baseball was still a relatively new phenomenon. His playing style was characterized by a strong fastball and an effective slider, which he used to great effect against some of the top hitters of his time. Wilson's career not only reflects his personal achievements but also stands as a testament to the evolving landscape of Major League Baseball in the late 1950s and 1960s.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
121 109 338 310 69 13 0 2051.7 1863 842 236 796 1452 3.69 0

Career ERA 3.69 vs. league average 3.59 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1959 BOS AL 1 1 9 4 0 0 0 23.7 21 16 31 17 6.08 3.90 (-56%) -1326.5
1960 BOS AL 3 2 13 9 2 0 0 65.0 61 34 48 40 4.71 3.82 (-23%) -814.8
1962 BOS AL 12 8 31 28 4 1 0 191.3 163 83 111 137 3.90 3.96 (+1%) -2442.0
1963 BOS AL 11 16 37 34 6 3 0 210.7 184 88 105 123 3.76 3.46 (-9%) -2597.0
1964 BOS AL 11 12 33 31 5 0 0 202.3 213 101 73 166 4.49 3.58 (-25%) -4599.0
1965 BOS AL 13 14 36 36 8 1 0 230.7 221 102 77 164 3.98 3.50 (-14%) -1036.3
1966 BOS AL 5 5 15 14 5 1 0 100.7 88 43 36 67 3.84 3.52 (-9%) -1652.5
1966 DET AL 13 6 23 23 8 2 0 163.3 126 47 38 133 2.59 3.52 (+26%) 2319.9
1967 DET AL 22 11 39 38 12 0 0 264.0 216 96 92 184 3.27 3.30 (+1%) -4143.3
1968 DET AL 13 12 34 33 10 3 0 224.3 192 71 65 168 2.85 2.98 (+4%) 390.0
1969 DET AL 12 10 35 35 5 1 0 214.7 209 79 69 150 3.31 3.61 (+8%) 497.2
1970 DET AL 4 6 18 16 4 1 0 96.0 87 47 32 74 4.41 3.89 (-13%) -745.5
1970 SDP NL 1 6 15 9 0 0 0 65.0 82 35 19 29 4.85 3.89 (-25%) -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
405 740 95 144 12 6 35 111 0 67 271 0.195 0.265 0.369 0.634 -723.9

Career AVG .195 vs. league average .249 across their career seasons — 21.9% below league average.

Career OBP .265 vs. league average .315 across their career seasons — 16.0% below league average.

Career SLG .369 vs. league average .374 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS 0.634 vs. league average 0.690 across their career seasons — 8.1% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1959 BOS AL 9 8 0 4 2 0 0 4 0 0 1 0.500 — — — — 0.0
1960 BOS AL 15 23 3 4 1 0 0 2 0 1 7 0.174 — — — — 0.0
1962 BOS AL 35 69 8 12 2 0 3 8 0 5 19 0.174 .257 (-33%) .326 (-30%) .393 (-15%) .719 (-22%) -267.9
1963 BOS AL 38 72 5 15 0 3 1 7 0 7 18 0.208 .246 (-15%) .308 (-7%) .371 (-10%) .680 (-9%) -104.8
1964 BOS AL 54 73 19 15 4 0 5 13 0 9 22 0.205 .250 (-18%) .312 (-6%) .377 (+23%) .690 (+10%) 108.9
1965 BOS AL 47 79 13 14 0 0 6 12 0 13 29 0.177 .245 (-28%) .310 (-3%) .371 (+9%) .682 (+3%) 68.9
1966 BOS AL 18 32 7 8 0 0 2 5 0 4 11 0.250 — — — — 0.0
1966 DET AL 27 64 13 15 0 2 5 17 0 4 25 0.234 .248 (-6%) .309 (-8%) .376 (+41%) .685 (+19%) 0.0
1967 DET AL 52 108 8 20 2 0 4 15 0 8 39 0.185 .242 (-24%) .306 (-19%) .357 (-12%) .663 (-15%) -269.7
1968 DET AL 40 88 9 20 0 1 7 17 0 2 35 0.227 .236 (-4%) .298 (-15%) .340 (+44%) .638 (+16%) 162.6
1969 DET AL 37 76 6 10 0 0 0 6 0 10 37 0.132 .248 (-47%) .320 (-28%) .369 (-64%) .689 (-48%) -577.2
1970 DET AL 18 31 2 6 1 0 1 3 0 2 16 0.194 — — — — 0.0
1970 SDP NL 15 17 2 1 0 0 1 2 0 2 12 0.059 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1968 WS DET 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 1 1 1 0 4.3 4 3 6 3 6.23

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1968 WS DET 0 1 1 1 0 4.3 4 3 6 3 6.23

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 338 310 183 295 28 19

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1959 BOS P 9 4 2 5 1 0
1960 BOS P 13 9 6 10 1 1
1962 BOS P 31 28 19 22 3 2
1963 BOS P 37 34 17 36 3 1
1964 BOS P 33 31 14 29 2 0
1965 BOS P 36 36 24 26 3 2
1966 BOS P 15 14 12 12 2 2
1966 DET P 23 23 22 27 3 2
1967 DET P 39 38 26 42 0 2
1968 DET P 34 33 26 30 4 3
1969 DET P 35 35 8 38 4 3
1970 DET P 18 16 5 13 1 1
1970 SDN P 15 9 2 5 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 338

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1967 TSN All-Star P
1966 TSN All-Star P

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1967 Most Valuable Player AL 12th 20.0 280 0
1966 Most Valuable Player AL 14th 13.0 280 0