Willis Hudlin
| Willis Hudlin | |||
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 | |||
| Pitcher | |||
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Born: May 23, 1906 Wagoner, Oklahoma | |||
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Died: August 5, 2002 (aged 96) Little Rock, Arkansas | |||
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| MLB debut | |||
| August 15, 1926, for the Cleveland Indians | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| August 31, 1944, for the St. Louis Browns | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 158–156 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.41 | ||
| Strikeouts | 677 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
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George Willis Hudlin (May 23, 1906 – August 5, 2002) was born in Wagoner, Oklahoma, and was a Major League Baseball pitcher for, most notably, the Cleveland Indians from 1926 to 1940. Hudlin didn't pitch more than 10 games with any other team, although he played with 3 others.
In 1940, Hudlin became one of the few players to compete on 4 different major league teams in the same year (Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns, and the New York Giants). His career statistics include a 158–156 record, with a 4.41 ERA. He had 677 strikeouts in 2613 career innings pitched. Hudlin was the pitcher who gave up Babe Ruth's 500th home run.
His pitch selection included a well-known sinker, a fastball, curveball and a changeup. He occasionally threw sidearm or with an underhand "dip of the wrist", though he threw overhand most often.[1] After Hudlin finished playing in the majors, he was a manager for the minor league Little Rock Travelers.
He later became a scout for the New York Yankees where he scouted his own son James Hudlin who was given a contract to play in the Majors, but was drafted to fight in the Vietnam War.
James Hudlin's pitch selection was a knuckleball, Slider, Curve, Sinker, as well as a 2 Seam fastball that topped out at 102 mph.
Willis died in Little Rock, Arkansas at the age of 96.
References
- ↑ The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers: An Historical Compendium of Pitching, Pitchers, and Pitches. Bill James and Rob Neyer. 2004.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
| Preceded by n/a |
Detroit Tigers pitching coach 1957–1959 |
Succeeded by Tom Ferrick |