William Robert Wight (April 12, 1922 – May 17, 2007) was an American
pitcher in
Major League Baseball (
MLB) who played from through for the
New York Yankees (1946–47),
Chicago White Sox (1948–50),
Boston Red Sox (1951–52),
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
(1952–53),
Cleveland Indians (1953, 1955),
Baltimore Orioles (1955–57),
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
(1958) and
St. Louis Cardinals (1958). Listed at tall and , Wight batted and threw left-handed. He was born in
Rio Vista, California.
Wight graduated from
Oakland
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
's
McClymonds High School and entered
professional baseball in the Yankees' organization in 1941. He served in the
United States Navy during
World War II and missed three full seasons (1943–45).
Information
at Baseball in Wartime His best MLB season was , when he set or equaled career bests in games won (15), complete game
In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...
s (14), shutouts (three), and innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...
(245), hurling for a sixth-place White Sox team that lost 91 of its 154 games.
In a big-league career that lasted all or parts of 12 seasons, Wight posted a 77–99 won–lost record
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. The statistic is commonly used in standings or rankings to compare teams or individuals. It is defined as wins divided by the total number of match ...
with 574 strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...
s and a 3.95 ERA in 347 appearances
Appearance may refer to:
* Visual appearance, the way in which objects reflect and transmit light
* Human physical appearance, what someone looks like
* ''Appearances'' (film), a 1921 film directed by Donald Crisp
* Appearance (philosophy), or p ...
, including 198 starts, 66 complete games, 15 shutouts and eight saves in 1,563 innings of work.
Wight scouted
''Scouted'' is an American reality television series that chronicles the discovery process of the next big name in the modeling industry. The show premiered on Monday, November 28, 2011, on the E! cable network.
Overview
The series showcases lo ...
for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros and Atlanta Braves for 37 years after his active career ended — signing Baseball Hall of Fame
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests. It serves as the central point of the history of baseball in the United States and displays baseball-r ...
second baseman Joe Morgan for Houston in 1962. He died in Mount Shasta, California, at the age of 85.
References
External links
1922 births
2007 deaths
Atlanta Braves scouts
Baltimore Orioles players
Baseball players from California
Binghamton Triplets players
Boston Red Sox players
Chicago White Sox players
Detroit Tigers players
Cincinnati Redlegs players
Cleveland Indians players
Houston Astros scouts
Idaho Falls Russets players
Kansas City Blues (baseball) players
Major League Baseball pitchers
New York Yankees players
Norfolk Tars players
People from Solano County, California
St. Louis Cardinals players
San Diego Padres (minor league) players
Seattle Rainiers players
United States Navy personnel of World War II
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