Waite Hoyt

Waite Hoyt (1899-1984), American baseball player who was an ace pitcher for the New York Yankees during the 1920s when the club won six American League (AL) pennants and three world championships.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Hoyt signed a minor league contract when he was only 15 years old. After an unremarkable minor league career and two mediocre seasons with the Boston Red Sox, he was traded to the New York Yankees in 1920. He made the most of his first year in New York, posting a 19-13 win-loss record during the 1921 regular season. In the 1921 World Series against the New York Giants, Hoyt pitched three games and surrendered only two runs, both unearned. He turned in solid performances the next two seasons as the Yankees added pennant championships in 1922 and 1923. In 1923 the Yankees topped the New York Giants in the World Series in six games.

From 1926 to 1928 New York strung together three straight AL championships once again, winning World Series titles in 1928 and 1929. Hoyt was at the top of his form in 1927 when he led the league in wins while posting a 22-7 record, and again in 1928 when he finished at 23-7. Midway through the 1930 season he was traded to the Detroit Tigers after chalking up 157 regular-season wins and six World Series victories in 9½ seasons with the Yankees. Traded again, he was a member of the Philadelphia Athletics squad that won the AL pennant in 1931.

Hoyt retired in 1938 after stints with the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, and Pittsburgh Pirates. He left the game with a career record of 237 wins and 182 losses. In World Series competition he tossed six complete games and posted a 1.83 earned run average. After retiring, Hoyt worked as a radio broadcaster in New York City before becoming a broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds in 1942, a position he held until 1965. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.