Hank Wyse
Henry Washington Wyse was an American professional baseball pitcher. Between 1942 and 1951, Wyse played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Athletics and Washington Senators. A native of Lunsford, Craighead County, Arkansas, he was listed as tall and and he batted and threw right-handed. He debuted on September 7, 1942, and played his final game on June 14, 1951.
In has eight-season MLB career, Wyse posted a 79–70 won–lost record with a 3.52 ERA, 362 strikeouts, eight saves, and 1257 innings in 251 games pitched, 159 as a starter.
Wyse suffered a spinal injury that kept him from serving in World War II. As a result, he wore a corset at times to pitch.
A control pitcher, Wyse was a sinkerballer and a curve specialist. His most productive season came in 1945, when he helped the Cubs win the National League pennant after going 22–10 with a 2.68 ERA. He lost Game Two of the World Series and relieved in Games 6 and 7. Until Jon Lester pitched in the first inning of the 2016 World Series, Wyse was the last Cubs' pitcher to appear in a World Series game. The same season, he was selected an All-Star and pitched a one-hitter game on April 28 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. His no-hitter was broken up by Bill Salkeld, who singled in the 8th inning with one out.
Wyse also pitched in the American League with the Philadelphia Athletics and Washington Senators for part of two seasons. He died in Pryor, Oklahoma, at age 82.
Wyse was nicknamed "Hooks" in acknowledgment of his curveball, described by Wyse biographer Gregory Wolf as "knee-buckling". He was inducted posthumously into the Texas League Hall of Fame in 2009.