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.

Died
August 25, 1984, Cincinnati, OH

Batted:  Right
Threw:  Right

Primary Position:  P

Primary Team:  NYA

Major League Debut
July 24, 1918

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1918
Jimmy Dykes
Cliff Heathcote
Waite Hoyt
Jesse Haines
Bill Sherdel
Tom Zachary
Johnny Mostil
Babe Pinelli
Austin McHenry

Nicknames
Schoolboy

"Schoolboy," because he debuted as an 18-year old pitcher with the Giants.

Uniform Numbers
#12 (1929), #11 (1930 Yankees), #14 (1931 Tigers), #28 (1931 A's), #19 (1932 Giants), #48 (1933-1937 Pirates), #34 (1937 Dodgers), #15 (1938)

Similar Players
Herb Pennock, Mel Harder

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

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.

Replaced
Jack Quinn

Replaced By
Freddie Fitzsimmons

Best Strength as a Player
Control; Hoyt never walked more than 81 batters in any season.

Largest Weakness as a Player
He was a weak hitter, producing just 37 extra-base hits in more than 1,200 career at-bats.

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