Waite "Schoolboy" Hoyt pitched his first inning in the majors at the age of 18, and when he threw his last pitch 20 years later he had more than 230 wins in his Hall of Fame career. Originally signed by the New York Giants, Hoyt fell from the grasp of John McGraw and was with the Boston Red Sox in 1919-1920 before he was shipped off with the rest of Harry Frazee's big names prior to the 1921 season. Like many other Red Sox castoffs, Hoyt ended up with the New York Yankees, and it was there that he emerged as an ace. A clutch performer, Hoyt was 6-3 with a stellar 1.62 ERA for the Bronx Bombers in the World Series. He anchored the pitching staff for three Yankee championship clubs before moving on to several teams in his 30s.
Teams Waite Hoyt Played For
New York Yankees (1921-1930) Detroit Tigers (1930-1931) Philadelphia Athletics (1931) Brooklyn Dodgers (1932) New York Giants (1932) Pittsburgh Pirates (1933-1937) Brooklyn Dodgers (1937-1938)
Best Season: 1928 He won 23 games and had a respectable 3.36 ERA, but he also led the league in saves with eight, pitching 11 games and 27 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. The Yankees won their third straight AL pennant and Hoyt was 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA in two complete games in the World Series win over the Cardinals.
Factoids On September 24, 1919, Waite Hoyt pitched a 13-inning complete game for the Red Sox against the Yankees. From the third until the 14th inning he retired 27 batters in a row. Unfortunately, he lost the game 2-1.
Fire Sale Hoyt was traded to the Yankees on December 15, 1920, in a blockbuster deal that helped launch the Yankee dynasty we know today. Hoyt, Wally Schang, Harry Harper and Mike McNally went to New York in exchange for Del Pratt, Muddy Ruel, Hank Thormahlen, Sammy Vick and cash. Hoyt and Schang were imprtant cogs in the Yanks' pennant-winners of 1921-1924. Of course, the Red Sox have never won a World Series since and after the trade it was 26 years before they even played in one.
Slinging in Steeltown Pittsburgh seemed like an odd place for an old ace like Waite Hoyt, former star of the New York Yankees' pitching staffs of the 1920s. But after he was released by three teams in less than ten months, Hoyt was thankful to sign with the Pirates in January, 1933. The deal would pay dividends for Pittsburgh. Hoyt was 33-years old when the 1933 season began, and it seemed his best pitching was behind him. But over the next four-and-a-half seasons, he chewed up innings for his Pirate managers. His ERA's in Pittsburgh were 2.92, 2.93, 3.40 and 2.70 in his four full seasons. He led the National League in relief wins in 1934 and 1935, and landed third in the loop in ERA in 1934, when he went a combined 15-6 in 15 starts and 33 relief stints. In May of 1936 he underwent an emergency appendectomy, which shelved him the remainder of the season. He returned in 1937 with Pittsburgh and pitched 11 games of relief before being dealt to Brooklyn, where he continued his comeback with a 3.23 ERA and a 7-7 record in 27 games. His years in Pittsburgh, in which he went 35-31 with 18 saves and a 3.08 ERA, had proved that he was still a good pitcher.
Where He Played Starting pitcher
Born Waite Charles Hoyt was born on September 9, 1899, in Brooklyn, NY.
Related Players Hoyt and Herb Pennock teamed to form a solid lefty-righty duo from 1923-1930. The two men both ended up with plaques in Cooperstown, helped largely by playing for a team that featured such an overpowering offense. As teammates, Hoyt and Pennock won 254 games: an average of more than 15 apiece in their eight seasons together... On August 25, 1922, Hoyt halted Ken Williams' 28-game hitting streak... An argument with Yankees' manager Bob Shawkey helped send Hoyt to the Tigers in a trade on May 30, 1930. Hoyt will win 70 more games and save 23 in his career... Connie Mack surprised many by starting Hoyt in the opener of the 1931 World Series. Hoyt had been used both as a reliever and starter by the A's during the regular season. He loses the game 4-1 to St. Louis.
Hall of Fame Voting
Year
Election
Votes
Pct
1939
BBWAA
1
.4%
1942
BBWAA
1
.4%
1946
Nominating Vote
1
.5%
1948
BBWAA
7
5.8%
1949
BBWAA
7
4.6%
1950
BBWAA
11
6.5%
1951
BBWAA
13
5.8%
1952
BBWAA
12
5.1%
1953
BBWAA
14
5.3%
1954
BBWAA
14
5.6%
1955
BBWAA
33
13.1%
1956
BBWAA
37
19.2%
1958
BBWAA
37
13.9%
1960
BBWAA
29
10.8%
1962
BBWAA
18
11.3%
1969
Veterans
%
Post-Season Appearances
1921 World Series
1922 World Series
1923 World Series
1926 World Series
1927 World Series
1928 World Series
1931 World Series
The Pitches He Threw Late in his career, according to Hall of Famer Al Lopez, Hoyt added a slider to his repertoire. Hoyt called it his "nickel curve."
Post-Season Notes Hoyt started Game Seven of the 1926 World Series and was relieved by Herb Pennock in the seventh inning, with the Yanks trailing the Cardinals 3-2. The Cards won the game, in which Pete Alexander had his famous duel with Tony Lazzeri.
Feats Hoyt won his 200th game on September 12, 1933, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Dodgers at Forbes Field, 2-0.
Transactions December 15, 1920: Traded by the Boston Red Sox with Harry Harper, Mike McNally, and Wally Schang to the New York Yankees for Muddy Ruel, Del Pratt, Sammy Vick, and Hank Thormahlen; May 30, 1930: Traded by the New York Yankees with Mark Koenig to the Detroit Tigers for Ownie Carroll, Yats Wuestling, and Harry Rice; June 30, 1931: Purchased by the Philadelphia Athletics from the Detroit Tigers; November, 1932: Purchased by the Pittsburgh Pirates from the New York Giants.
