John Thomas Wyatt (April 19, 1934 – April 6, 1998)[1] was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played all or part of nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily as a relief pitcher. From 1961 through 1969, he played for the Kansas City Athletics (1961–66), Boston Red Sox (1966–68), New York Yankees (1968), Detroit Tigers (1968) and Oakland Athletics (1969). In the Negro leagues, he played for the Indianapolis Clowns (1953–55).[2] Wyatt batted and threw right-handed.

John Wyatt
Pitcher
Born: (1934-04-19)April 19, 1934
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died: April 6, 1998(1998-04-06) (aged 63)
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 8, 1961, for the Kansas City Athletics
Last MLB appearance
May 1, 1969, for the Oakland Athletics
MLB statistics
Win–loss record42–44
Earned run average3.47
Strikeouts540
Saves103
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Wyatt saved John O'Donoghue's first big league win, coming at Dodger Stadium on May 12, 1964.

Life and career

edit

Wyatt was born in Chicago, Illinois, a son of Claudette (née Watkins) and John Wyatt Sr. He grew up in Buffalo, New York, where he attended Fosdick-Masten Park High School.[3]

His contract was sold to the Tigers from the Yankees on June 15, 1968.[4]

In his major league career, Wyatt posted a 42–44 record with a 3.72 ERA and 103 saves in 435 games pitched. He was selected to the 1964 American League All-Star Team, and pitched for the Red Sox in the 1967 World Series, as the winning pitcher in Game Six.

Wyatt died from a heart attack in Omaha, Nebraska, at the age of 63.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Illinois, Cook County, Birth Certificates, 1871-1940". FamilySearch.
  2. ^ Clark, Dick; Lester, Larry (1994), The Negro Leagues Book, Cleveland, Ohio: Society for American Baseball Research, pp. 237, 256
  3. ^ "JOHN WYATT, AMERICAN LEAGUE PITCHER THROUGHOUT THE '60S, DIES AT 63".
  4. ^ "Major League Teams Beat Clock with Last-Minute Trading Spurt," Schenectady (NY) Gazette, Monday, June 17, 1968. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
edit