Why Not John Wyatt? Part 1

John Wyatt is one of the more forgotten members of the "Impossible Dream" Boston Red Sox of 1967. The team came out of nowhere to win. Their closer, Wyatt, didn't exactly come out of nowhere to perform the duty.

Wyatt had signed with the St. Louis Cardinals and eventually went from that organization to the Milwaukee Brewers. Pitching with Hannibal in "D" ball in 1954, he was 12-11 but with an ERA over five. He seemed unlikely to ever make the bigs, as his best season in the minors would not come until seven years later. Now on the Portsmouth-Norfolk Tides of "A" ball, Wyatt went 9-3 with a fine earned run average of 3.13. With those numbers, he found himself on the hills of a big-league team. The Kansas City Athletics.

Called up in September, John pitched well in five appearances. John finished all five contests that he appeared in and posted an ERA of just 2.45. Though he had no way of knowing it, Wyatt would never return to the minors.

The rookie went 10-7 with the Athletics in 1962, starting nine times and reliving fifty other appearances. He seemed like a steady winner for Kansas. 6-4 in 1963, 9-8 with an American League-leading 81 appearances in '64. Though his ERA was just 3.25 in 1965, Wyatt posted a poor W-L record, 2-6. The next season John started out 0-3 with a high ERA, and was dealt to the Boston Red Sox. From there, he went 3-4 with a 3.14 ERA with Boston.

1967 started with a change for the Red Sox. They had a new manager, Dick Williams. Carl Yastremzki won the triple crown. The pitching was great. Jim Lonborg won 22 games. Jose Santiago was 12-4. Gary Bell was 12-8 with an ERA of just 3.16. Lee Strange might have been only 8-10, but posted an ERA of 2.77. Occasional starters like Gary Waslewski (2-2, 3.21) and Hank Fischer (1-2, 2.36 with just two starts and seven other relief appearances) were pretty good. Others like Jerry Stephenson (3-1, 3.86) and Dave Moorehead (5-4 4.34) were okay. Dennis Bennett was only 4-3, but his earned run average was 3.88.

The Red Sox bullpen of 1967 had a strong Strange, who pitched eleven times in relief and twenty-four more appearances as a starter. Dan Osinski made 34 appearances, exclusively in relief. He was 3-1 with an earned run average of just 2.54. Sparkly Lyle was a rookie, but was 1-2 with a 2.28 ERA and saved five games. He'd get 233 more before he hung up his cleats.

Also recording five saves was Jose Santiago. But Jose proved himself to be very good as a starter. In addition to his 12-4 record, Jose appeared in 50 games, with 11 starts. His .750 W% topped all AL hurlers. Manager Dick Williams thought so much of Santiago to be their in the first inning that he would start two games in the World Series that year for Boston, battling the great Bob Gibson to a standstill in the first contest, and even hitting a home run off the St. Louis pitching star.

Don McMahon and Galen Cisco only pitched eleven games each (All in relief), but were effective. Bill Landis wasn't in his eighteen outings (One start), finishing the year with an ERA over five. Ken Brett, George's older brother only got into one regular season game. Bucky Brandon was inconsistent, going 5-11 with an earned run average over four. 

So, our man John Wyatt topped the bullpen with ten wins. Santiago was second with eight. Williams used him sixty times, all from the bullpen. Sanitago was far back with just 39 appearances in relief. Wyatt also finished 43 of his 60 appearances, with his longest appearance a 5 2/3 innings stint vs. his old team, Kansas City, on April 29th. In that outing, John was not scored on and allowed just two hits. In his second longest outing of '67, he shutout the opposition on just two hits.

In all, Wyatt pitched 93 1/3 innings in 1967. He'd make two more appearances in the World Series that year. The Red Sox trailed 2-1 against Bob Gibson in the first Fall Classic game after seven. Wyatt got Tim McCarver and Mike Shannon to fly out in the eighth, then finished off a 1-2-3 inning by fanning Julian Javier.

Norm Seibern, who'd been at the dish when the Red Sox seventh inning had ended, had staying in the game. He'd batted for Santiago before taking a spot in right field. So with Elston Howard now catching and batting ninth, Wyatt was actually in the fourth slot of the batting order, where right fielder Ken "Hawk" Harrelson had been. Seibern got the last of the eighth off on the right foot for the home team at Fenway by singling. Howard batted next and bunted pinch runner Jose Tartabull to second. It was back to the top of the order with the tying run at the dish and only one away. But Bob Gibson got Jerry Adair to fly to centre and Dalton Jones to pop to short.

Wyatt looked doomed in the top of the ninth. Dal Maxvill got things going for the Cardinals with a walk. Bob Gibson tried to bunt him over, but popped out to George Scott at first. But Lou Brock coaxed a second walk off John Wyatt. Though Curt Flood flied out and no runner advanced, Wyatt then committed a balk while pitching to Roger Maris. Roger had both RBIs for St. Louis in this contest. Maris flied out to Carl Yastremzki in left.

Yaz then himself flied out to start the Red Sox ninth. Bob Gibson had held the Boston big gun hitless on this afternoon. Joe Foy went out on a grounder to shortstop Dal Maxvill. Two away. George Scott had given Bob Gibson trouble all day, collecting two hits. Gibby was one out away from a win and didn't want to blow it here. That might have rattled Gibby a bit. He issued his first walk. Though the Cardinals' right-hander had fanned ten and allowed just six hits, the Red Sox had put a man on in the last four innings. Mike Andrews was next. Gibby got him to fly out to Maris in right. A tough loss for Wyatt and Boston, who'd seemed like they'd pull it out, somehow.

Down three games to two going into the sixth contest at Fenway Park, Boston looked to send it to seven. Gary Waslewski started. And after five innings he had a 4-2 lead! Then, in the top of the sixth inning, he walked Roger Maris with no one out. After Orlando Cepeda flied out, Waslewski walked Mike Shannon. Wyatt hopped in from the Red Sox bullpen.

He got Mike Shannon to pop out. Then Julian Javier ended the inning by grounding out to third. Nelson Briles got the home team 1-2-3 in the last of the frame. In the seventh, it was Lou Brock with a one out, two-run home run to tie it for the visitors. John Wyatt settled down and got Flood and Maris to fly out to centre. But the game was tied at four.

But Boston regrouped in the home half of the inning. Jack Lamabe was now pitching for St. Louis. Elston Howard grounded out to lead off. But then Dalton Jones singled. Joe Foy doubled him home. This ended up being the game-winning run for the Red Sox. But they weren't through.

Mike Andrews greeted new pitched Joe Hoerner with a single to left field for a 6-4 Boston advantage. Carl Yastremzki, who'd homered earlier in the game, singled Andrews to third. Jerry Adair was up as a pinch hitter and delivered a sacrifice fly to centre of still another new pitcher, Larry Jaster. George Scott singled and Yaz motored to third. Reggie Smith made it 8-4 Boston with a single that scored Yastremzki. Ray Washburn, the fourth St. Louis pitcher of the inning, walked Rico Petrocelli before getting Howard out on a grounder to finally end the inning.

Gary Bell took over from there and stifled uprisings from St. Louis in the eighth and ninth innings. So John Wyatt ended up the winning pitcher. Alas, for him and the Red Sox, Bob Gibson beat Jim Lonborg 7-2 in the seventh contest.

It was a tough way to end the year. Lonborg had won two more games in the Fall Classic, to go along with 22 in the regular season. Wyatt had the other Red Sox win, to go along with ten in the regular season. It was fitting that the top starter and reliever continued what they'd started in the regular season, as they pushed Boston to nearly winning it all!

Greatest Relief Seasons of All-Time Stat Set 1

Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Bernhard	1899	21	9	0.429	132.1	6	6
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Walsh	1904	18	10	0.556	110.2	6	3
Griffith	1905	25	17	0.680	101.2	9	6
Ferguson	1906	22	19	0.864	52.1	2	0
Keefe	1907	19	14	0.737	57.2	3	5
Chappelle	1908	13	6	0.462	70.1	2	4
Leever	1909	19	12	0.632	70.0	8	1
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Phillipe	1910	31	19	0.613	121.2	14	2
Benz	1911	12	4	0.333	55.2	3	2
Baskette	1912	29	18	0.621	116.0	8	4
Crandall	1913	35	27	0.771	97.2	4	4
Wolfgang	1914	24	12	0.500	119.1	9	5
Bressler	1914	29	15	0.517	147.2	10	4
Mays	1915	38	27	0.711	131.2	6	5
Danforth	1917	50	26	0.520	173.0	11	6
Dubuc	1919	36	22	0.611	132.0	6	4
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Morton	1921	30	15	0.500	107.2	8	3
Baumgartner	1925	37	9	0.243	113.1	6	3
Marberry	1926	64	47	0.734	138.0	12	7
Clark	1927	27	19	0.704	73.2	7	2
Haid	1928	27	14	0.519	47.0	2	2
Rommel	1929	32	15	0.469	113.2	12	2
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Lindsey	1931	35	19	0.543	74.2	6	4
Quinn	1932	39	29	0.744	64.1	5	4
Russell	1933	50	31	0.620	124.0	12	6
Malone	1936	35	25	0.714	134.2	12	4
Brown	1938	51	32	0.627	132.2	15	9
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Beggs	1940	37	27	0.730	76.2	12	3
Murphy	1941	35	31	0.886	77.1	8	3
Adams	1943	70	52	0.743	140.1	11	7
Heving	1944	63	38	0.603	119.2	8	3
Maltzberger	1944	46	41	0.891	91.1	10	5
Berry	1944	53	47	0.887	111.1	10	8
Karl	1945	67	41	0.612	180.2	8	8
Christopher	1947	44	38	0.864	80.2	10	7
Wilks	1948	57	27	0.474	130.2	6	6
Page	1949	60	48	0.800	135.1	13	8
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Konstanty	1950	74	62	0.838	152.0	16	7
Aloma	1951	25	11	0.440	69.1	6	0
Wilhelm	1952	71	32	0.451	159.1	15	3
Paige	1952	46	35	0.761	138.0	12	10
Kinder	1953	69	52	0.754	107.0	10	6
Mossi	1954	40	18	0.450	93.0	6	1
Sain	1954	45	39	0.867	77.0	6	6
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Narleski	1955	60	36	0.600	111.2	9	1
Freeman	1956	64	47	0.734	108.2	14	5
Farrell	1957	52	32	0.615	83.1	10	2
Zuverink	1957	56	37	0.661	112.2	10	6
Hyde	1958	53	44	0.830	103.0	10	3
Duren	1959	41	29	0.707	76.2	3	6
Staley	1959	67	37	0.552	116.1	8	5
Face	1959	57	47	0.825	93.1	18	1
Henry	1959	65	36	0.554	134.1	9	8
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Brosnan	1960	57	27	0.474	99.0	7	2
McDaniel	1960	63	47	0.746	104.1	12	4
Arroyo	1961	65	54	0.831	119.0	15	5
Fox	1961	39	25	0.641	57.1	5	2
Radatz	1963	66	58	0.879	131.1	15	6
Perranoski	1963	69	47	0.681	129.0	16	3
Baldschum	1963	65	44	0.677	112.0	11	7
Lee	1964	64	39	0.609	137.0	6	5
Ellis	1964	52	32	0.615	122.1	10	3
Schultz	1964	30	22	0.733	49.1	1	3
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Miller	1965	67	55	0.821	112.1	14	7
Regan	1966	65	48	0.738	116.2	14	1
Drabowsky	1967	43	26	0.605	95.1	7	5
Abernathy	1967	70	61	0.871	106.1	6	3
Wyatt	1967	60	43	0.717	93.1	10	7
Wood	1968	88	46	0.523	159.0	13	12
V. Romo	1968	41	30	0.732	84.1	5	3
Tatum	1969	45	33	0.733	86.1	7	2
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Williams	1970	68	36	0.529	113.1	10	1
McMahon	1970	61	44	0.721	94.1	9	5
Sanders	1971	83	77	0.928	136.1	7	12
Giusti	1972	54	44	0.815	74.2	7	4
Knowles	1972	54	29	0.537	65.2	5	1
Brewer	1972	51	41	0.804	78.1	8	7
Hiller	1973	65	60	0.923	125.1	10	5
Jackson	1973	43	33	0.767	80.1	8	0
Borbon	1973	80	36	0.450	121.0	11	4
Beene	1973	19	11	0.579	91.0	6	0
Marshall	1974	106	83	0.783	208.1	15	12
Gossage	1975	62	49	0.790	141.2	9	8
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Eastwick	1976	71	59	0.831	107.2	11	5
Johnson	1977	71	54	0.761	146.2	16	7
Lyle	1977	72	60	0.833	137.0	13	5
Sutter	1977	62	48	0.774	107.1	7	3
Blair	1978	70	56	0.800	100.1	7	6
Stanley	1978	52	35	0.673	141.2	15	2
Tekulve	1979	94	67	0.713	134.1	10	8
Lopez	1979	61	49	0.803	127.0	10	5
R. Davis	1979	44	21	0.477	85.1	14	2
E. Romo	1979	84	25	0.298	129.1	10	5
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
McGraw	1980	57	48	0.842	92.1	5	4
Garvin	1980	61	24	0.393	82.2	4	7
Fingers	1981	47	41	0.872	78.0	6	3
Caudill	1982	70	64	0.914	95.2	12	9
Reardon	1982	75	53	0.707	109.0	7	4
L. Smith	1983	66	56	0.848	103.1	4	10
Stewart	1983	54	25	0.463	135.0	10	4
Quisenberry	1983	69	62	0.899	139.0	5	3
Orosco	1983	62	42	0.677	110.0	13	7
Hernandez	1984	80	68	0.850	140.1	9	3
Lamp	1985	53	11	0.208	105.2	11	0
D. Smith	1985	64	46	0.719	79.1	9	5
Lahti	1985	52	31	0.596	68.1	5	2
Moore	1985	65	57	0.877	103.0	8	8
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Eichhorn	1986	69	38	0.551	157.0	14	6
Righetti	1986	74	68	0.919	106.2	8	8
Todd Worrell	1986	74	60	0.811	103.2	9	10
Henke	1987	72	62	0.861	94.0	0	6
Burke	1987	55	30	0.545	91.0	7	0
Daley	1987	53	29	0.547	61.0	9	5
Henneman	1988	65	51	0.785	91.1	9	6
Parrett	1988	61	34	0.557	91.2	12	4
Lancaster	1989	42	15	0.357	72.2	4	2
Russell	1989	71	66	0.930	72.2	6	4
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Eckersley	1990	63	61	0.968	73.1	4	2
Thigpen	1990	77	73	0.948	88.2	4	6
Nelson	1990	51	17	0.333	74.2	3	3
Henry	1991	32	25	0.781	36.0	2	1
Aguilera	1991	63	60	0.952	69.0	4	5
Ward	1992	79	35	0.443	101.1	7	4
Rojas	1992	68	26	0.382	100.2	7	1
Olin	1992	72	62	0.861	88.1	8	5
Wetteland	1993	70	58	0.829	85.1	9	3
Harvey	1993	59	54	0.915	69.0	1	5
Beck	1993	76	71	0.934	79.1	3	1
Martinez	1993	65	20	0.308	107.0	10	5
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Myers	1997	61	57	0.934	59.2	2	3
Hoffman	1998	66	61	0.924	73.0	4	2
Urbina	1998	64	59	0.922	69.1	6	3
Williamson	1999	62	40	0.645	93.1	12	7
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Rhodes	2001	71	16	0.225	68.0	8	0
Smoltz	2003	62	55	0.887	64.1	0	2
Tim Worrell	2003	76	64	0.842	78.1	4	4
Lidge	2004	80	44	0.550	94.2	6	5
Timlin	2005	81	27	0.333	80.1	7	3
Nathan	2006	64	61	0.953	68.1	7	0
Ryan	2006	65	57	0.877	72.1	2	2
Putz	2007	68	65	0.956	71.2	6	1
Rivera	2008	64	60	0.938	70.2	6	5
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Bell	2010	67	57	0.851	70.0	6	1
Soriano	2010	64	56	0.875	62.1	3	2
Aceves	2011	55	15	0.273	114.0	10	2
Axford	2011	74	63	0.851	73.2	2	2
Downs	2011	60	10	0.167	53.2	6	3
Cook	2012	71	23	0.324	73.1	6	2
Chapman	2012	68	52	0.765	71.2	5	5
Johnson	2012	71	63	0.887	68.2	2	1
Smyly	2013	63	9	0.143	76.0	6	0
Davis	2014	70	11	0.157	72.0	9	2
Clippard	2014	75	6	0.080	70.1	7	4
Rondon	2015	72	47	0.653	70.0	6	4
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Britton	2016	69	63	0.913	67.0	2	1
Osuna	2016	72	61	0.847	74.0	4	3
Brach	2016	71	16	0.225	79.0	10	4
Miller	2016	70	23	0.329	74.1	10	1
Robertson	2017	61	34	0.557	68.1	9	2
Jansen	2017	65	57	0.877	68.1	5	0
Albers	2017	63	23	0.365	61.0	7	2
Kimbrel	2017	51	67	0.761	69.0	5	0
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L
Morrow	2018	29	26	0.897	24.2	0	0
Trivino	2018	36	8	0.222	44.1	7	1
Treinen	2018	42	34	0.810	51.0	5	2
Jeffress	2018	55	8	0.145	55.2	6	1
Yarbrough	2018	36	3	0.083	139.1	15	5
Hader	2018	52	13	0.250	78.0	6	1
Strop	2018	60	20	0.333	59.2	6	1
Workman	2019	47	10	0.213	45.2	8	1
Robles	2019	59	40	0.678	58.1	4	0
Walden	2019	64	7	0.109	73.0	9	2
W.Smith	2019	63	52	0.825	65.1	6	0
Oberg	2019	49	18	0.367	56.0	6	1
Pitcher	Year	GP	GF	GF%	IP	W	L

Notes

Baumgartner and Bernhard appeared as a starter twelve times

Wolfgang and Baskette appeared as a starter eleven times.

Danforth, Malone and Stewart appeared as a starter nine times.

Phillipe and Walsh appeared as a starter eight times.

Morton and Griffith appeared as a starter seven times.

Paige, Mays, Chappelle, Rommell and Yarbrough appeared as a starter six times.

Marberry, Mossi, Lee, Ellis and Dubuc appeared as a starter five times.

Leever, Aceves and Beene appeared as a starter four times.

Russell, Stanley, Adams and Keefe appeared as a starter three times.

Brown, McDaniel, Wood, Crandall, Brosnan, Lindsey, Karl, Wilks, Martinez and Clark appeared as a starter two times.

Beggs, Quinn, Narleski, McGraw, Aloma, Robles, Ferguson, and Vincente Romo appeared once as a starter.

Maltzberger, Hyde, Konstanty, Duren, Brosnan, Tekulve and Henke all wore glasses.

Morrow's stats are through July 1, 2018.

Trivino's stats are through July 18, 2018.

Treinen's stats are through July 25, 2018.

Jeffress' stats are through August 13, 2018.

Yarbrough stats are through Sept 19, 2018.

Hader's stats are through September 24, 2018.

Workman's stats are through August 01, 2019.

Robles' stats are through September 05, 2019.

Walden's stats are through September 12, 2019


References


Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/. 21 Mar. 2020. Web.

Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, www.wikipedia.org/. Web. 21 Mar. 2020. Web.