Tommy Byrne (baseball)
| Tommy Byrne | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
| Pitcher | |||
|
Born: December 31, 1919 Baltimore, Maryland |
|||
|
Died: December 20, 2007 (aged 87) Wake Forest, North Carolina |
|||
|
|||
| MLB debut | |||
| April 27, 1943, for the New York Yankees | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| September 21, 1957, for the New York Yankees | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 85–69 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.11 | ||
| Strikeouts | 766 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
|
|||
Thomas Joseph Byrne (December 31, 1919 – December 20, 2007) was an American left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for four American League teams from 1943 through 1957, primarily the New York Yankees. He also played for the St. Louis Browns (1951–52), Chicago White Sox (1953) and Washington Senators (1953). Byrne batted and threw left-handed.
Byrne attended the Baltimore City College high school and Wake Forest College.
Byrne was a hard-thrower pitcher who never hesitated to pitch inside, but he had really struggled with his control most of his career, earning him the nickname "Wild Man". After making his debut on April 27, 1943, he had four years with more than 130 innings pitched and more than 6 walks per nine innings, a record later tied by Nolan Ryan. Byrne led the league in hit batsmen five times and in walks three times. Despite his wildness, he won 15 games twice (1949–50) and enjoyed a career season in 1955 with a 16-5 record and a 3.15 ERA, and led the league in winning percentage (.762).
But Byrne was a dangerous hitter. He hit well enough during his career to be called on by his managers for pinch-hitting duties. He batted .238 in his career (143-for-601) with 14 home runs and 98 RBI in 377 games, including two grand slams and 80 pinch hits.
...
Wikipedia